Use of Mental Health-Related Services Among Immigrant and US-Born Asian Americans: Results From the National Latino and Asian American Study.
Abe-Kim, Jennifer PhD; Takeuchi, David T. PhD; Hong, Seunghye MA; Zane, Nolan PhD; Sue, Stanley PhD; Spencer, Michael S. PhD; Appel, Hoa PhD; Nicdao, Ethel PhD; Alegria, Margarita PhD
[Miscellaneous]
American Journal of Public Health.
NATIONAL HEALTH SURVEYS EXAMINING DISPARITIES. 97(1):91-98, January 2007.
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Objectives. We examined rates of mental health-related service use (i.e., any, general medical, and specialty mental health services) as well as subjective satisfaction with and perceived helpfulness of care in a national sample of Asian Americans, with a particular focus on immigration-related factors.
Methods. Data were derived from the National Latino and Asian American Study (2002-2003).
Results. About 8.6% of the total sample (n=2095) sought any mental health-related services; 34.1% of individuals who had a probable diagnosis sought any services. Rates of mental health-related service use, subjective satisfaction, and perceived helpfulness varied by birthplace and by generation. US-born Asian Americans demonstrated higher rates of service use than did their immigrant counterparts. Third-generation or later individuals who had a probable diagnosis had high (62.6%) rates of service use in the previous 12 months.
Conclusions. Asian Americans demonstrated lower rates of any type of mental health-related service use than did the general population, although there are important exceptions to this pattern according to nativity status and generation status. Our results underscore the importance of immigration-related factors in understanding service use among Asian Americans.
Copyright (C) 2007 by the American Public Health Association, Inc.
