Factors Associated with Perceived Mental Health Treatment Need Among Black and Latino/a Respondents in the U.S

Background and Purpose: Despite being highly prevalent, mental health problems are undertreated among Black and Latino/a adults in the U.S. According to SAMHSA national survey reports from 2015-2019, annual averages of mental health service use indicate White males (12.5%) had a higher estimate of any mental health service use than Black (7.3%), and Hispanic (6.3%) males. Moreover, studies have reported a high prevalence of mental health problems among Black and Latino/a groups in the past year, and racial/ethnic disparities in the use of treatment services. However, little evidence exists about the potential factors associated with perceived treatment need among these two groups.

Methods The present study sought to identify factors associated with perceived mental health treatment need among Black and Latino/a respondents. Data for this study was collected from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The analytic sample included (n=1818) adult participants. The sample comprised of slightly more female (54%) than male participants. Based on the survey, data was elicited on sociodemographic, insurance status, past-year mental health treatment (both inpatient and outpatient treatment utilization), symptoms of psychological distress, and problem severity. Binomial logistic regression modelling was employed to evaluate associations between the interaction effect of past-year symptoms of psychological distress and problem severity, and perceived mental health treatment need.

Results: Overall results from this analysis indicated having health insurance, high symptoms of psychological distress, and problem severity were significantly associated with perceived mental health treatment need. Black and Latino/a participants had lower odds of reporting needing mental health treatment relative to White participants. Participants that reported having insurance had lower odds of reporting needing mental health treatment compared to those who did not have health insurance (OR: 0.69, 95 % CI: 0.49-.97). Problem severity was significantly associated with perceived mental health treatment need (OR: 7.37, 95 % CI: 2.41-22.51). Additionally, participants who reported experiencing higher symptoms of psychological distress had higher odds of reporting needing mental health treatment (OR: 3.39, 95 % CI: 2.75-4.19). Furthermore, the interaction variable (problem severity by symptoms of psychological distress), was significantly associated with participant report of needing mental health treatment (OR: 0.66, 95 % CI: 0.49-0.88).

Conclusions and Implications: The findings from this study suggest that symptoms of psychological distress and problem severity might be contributing factors to perceived mental health treatment need. Furthermore, these findings suggest that both Black and Latino/a participants had higher odds of reporting needing mental health treatment and therefore might indicate a lower probability of treatment utilization for mental health care. This study provides more evidence for the importance of examining racial/ethnic mental health disparities and disparities in perceived treatment need among Black and Latino/a adults.