Asian American and Pacific Islander Military Veterans in the United States: Health Service Use and Perceived Barriers to Mental Health Services

Abstract Indolent lymphomas are incurable but slow-growing cancers, resulting in a large number of older adults living with these diseases. Patients typically live with their illness for years with the knowledge that disease progression is likely. Yet, little is known about psychological distress in this population. This study examined rates of and the relationship between distress and mental health service use in older and younger adults with indolent lymphomas. Adult patients diagnosed with an indolent lymphoma (e.g., follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma) within the past six months completed self-report surveys of distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and mental health service use since the cancer diagnosis (yes/no). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to examine study questions. The sample (n=84) included 35 patients 65 years or older. Across the entire sample, 21.4% screened positive for distress on the HADS; 58.8% of these patients did not receive mental health services. Older adults reported lower distress levels than younger adults (17.1% v. 24.5%; p=.038). Among younger adults, 50% of distressed patients received mental health services; only 20% of distressed older adults received mental health services. Distress was associated with mental health service use in younger adults (p=.004) but not in older adults (p=.17). Older adults with indolent lymphomas have higher levels of untreated distress than younger adults. Research on the mechanisms underlying these age differences (e.g., stigma toward mental health services, ageism) would inform interventions to increase rates of mental health service use and reduce care disparities due to age.

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Mental Health Services in Childhood: The Role of Family Adversity

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354919826555 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 134 (2) ◽

pp. 180-188

Author(s):

Héctor E. Alcalá ◽

Rajesh Balkrishnan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Service ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Service ◽

Health Services ◽

Service Use ◽

Childhood Adversity ◽

Mental Health Service Use ◽

Health Service Use ◽

Continuous Measure

Objective: Much of the research on the effects of childhood adversity on mental health has focused on adults. The objective of our study was to examine the individual and cumulative effect of childhood adversity on mental health service use among children. Methods: We used data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health (n = 79 834) to determine the use of mental health services in the past 12 months among children aged 2-17. The independent variables of interest were experiencing any 1 of 9 adverse family experiences (AFEs). We used logistic regression models to determine if each AFE was associated with mental health service use. We also examined AFEs as a continuous measure, representing the number of AFEs (ranging from 0 to 9) that summed them individually, and we examined age-by-AFE and age-by-need interaction terms. We adjusted all models for confounders. Results: Compared with not experiencing an AFE, experiencing all AFEs was associated with higher odds of mental health service use. Neighborhood violence was associated with the greatest increase in odds of mental health service use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.00-2.77). When measured as a continuous scale, each additional AFE was associated with higher odds of mental health service use (aOR = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.28-1.37). The effect of AFEs on mental health service use decreased with age. Conclusions: The observed association between AFEs and use of mental health services may be attributable to more severe or poorly managed mental illness among these children. Efforts are needed to increase access to and quality of mental health care among children affected by AFEs.

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Correlates of Past-Year Mental Health Service Use Among Latinos: Results From the National Latino and Asian American Study

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2006.087197 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 97 (1) ◽

pp. 76-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 178

Author(s):

Margarita Alegría ◽

Norah Mulvaney-Day ◽

Meghan Woo ◽

Maria Torres ◽

Shan Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Service ◽

Health Service ◽

Asian American ◽

Service Use ◽

Mental Health Service Use ◽

Health Service Use ◽

American Study

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