title: Mental health service utilization of Somali adolescents: religion, community, and school as gateways to healing.
abstract: This mixed-method study examines the utility of the Gateway Provider Model (GPM) in understanding service utilization and pathways to help for Somali refugee adolescents. Somali adolescents living in the Northeastern United States, and their caregivers, were interviewed. Results revealed low rates of use of mental health services. However other sources of help, such as religious and school personnel, were accessed more frequently. The GPM provides a helpful model for understanding refugee youth access to services, and an elaborated model is presented showing how existing pathways to help could be built upon to improve refugee youth access to services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital Boston, 21 Autumn Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. heidi.ellis@childrens.harvard.edu
authors.forename: B Heidi
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: Alisa K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Lincoln
authors.forename: Meredith E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Charney
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ford-Paz
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Strunin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D008602:Mental Healing / Q000523:psychology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012574:Schools; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data