Barriers to Mental Health Service Use and Predictors of Treatment Drop Out: Racial/Ethnic Variation in a Population-Based Study
Publication information:
Green, J. G., McLaughlin, K. A., Fillbrunn, M., Fukuda, M., Jackson, J. S., Kessler, R. C., Sadikova, E., Sampson, N. A., Vilsaint, C., Williams, D. R., Cruz-Gonzalez, M., & Alegría, M. (2020). Barriers to Mental Health Service Use and Predictors of Treatment Drop Out: Racial/Ethnic Variation in a Population-Based Study. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 47, 606-616. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-020-01021-6
Abstract
This study examines racial/ethnic differences in perceived need for mental health treatment, barriers to treatment receipt, and reasons for dropout. Data are from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies, a pooled dataset from three U.S. nationally-representative adult samples. Among respondents with a 12-month psychiatric disorder who received no treatment (N = 1417), Asians and Latinos reported lower perceived need than Blacks and Whites, and Latinos reported the fewest attitudinal barriers. Among those with a 12-month disorder who dropped out of treatment, Asians and Latinos gave more reasons for dropping out. Significant interactions of race/ethnicity with other characteristics identified subpopulations with high unmet need.