title: Priority issues in Latino mental health services research.
abstract: This paper identifies issues and trends affecting the quality and comprehensiveness of Latino mental health research and services. These issues include current patterns of need and services use, rapid expansion of the Latino population, extraordinary rates of uninsured, social and language barriers to care, transformation in treatment science and technology, and the sheer complexity and rapid changes in the delivery system. Progress in the field requires coordination and investments from both public and private sectors. Scientific journals should provide assistance for creating a high quality knowledge base and rapidly disseminating this information to students, practitioners, and policy makers. Vigorous activity is needed to (1) augment the supply of people entering the "pipeline" for researcher and practitioner training, and (2) support research in priority areas such as outcome studies for diverse treatments and different sectors of care, cultural competence, treatment models for youth and aging populations, quality of care, and barriers to mental health care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA. vegawa@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lopez
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D003469:Culture; D006292:Health Priorities; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006302:Health Services Research; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology