Socioeconomic status, ethnicity, psychological distress, and readiness to utilize a mental health facility.
The effects of minority status versus ethnic culture on Mexican-Americans' underutilization of mental health services were reassessed through development and testing of an analytic path model that proposes a sequence of factors, including Mexican-American ethnicity, socioeconomic status, degree of social and institutional support, and depression, which culminate in a person's decision to utilize mental health facilities. The model also predicts that life stress will affect utilization through its influence on depression. Data from 783 subjects generally supported the model's predictions. A multifactorial approach to the causes of mental health problems and utilization behavior in the Mexican-American population is suggested.
Briones
D F
DF
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry, El Paso 79905.
Heller
P L
PL
Chalfant
H P
HP
Roberts
A E
AE
Aguirre-Hauchbaum
S F
SF
Farr
W F
WF
D000069:Acculturation; D000367:Age Factors; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support