Does stigma keep poor young immigrant and US-born Black and Latina women from seeking mental health care?

E Nadeem, JM Lange, D Edge, M Fongwa… - Psychiatric …, 2007 - Am Psychiatric Assoc
E Nadeem, JM Lange, D Edge, M Fongwa, T Belin, J Miranda
Psychiatric Services, 2007Am Psychiatric Assoc
Objective: This study examined the extent to which stigma-related con-cerns about mental
health care account for the underuse of mental health services among low-income
immigrant and US-born black and Latina women. Methods: Participants included 15,383 low-
income women screened for depression in county entitlement services who were asked
about barriers to care, stigma-related concerns, and whether they wanted or were getting
mental health care. Results: Among those who were depressed, compared with US-born …
Objective
This study examined the extent to which stigma-related con-cerns about mental health care account for the underuse of mental health services among low-income immigrant and US-born black and Latina women.
Methods
Participants included 15,383 low-income women screened for depression in county entitlement services who were asked about barriers to care, stigma-related concerns, and whether they wanted or were getting mental health care.
Results
Among those who were depressed, compared with US-born white women, each of the black groups were more likely to report stigma concerns (African immigrants, odds ratio [OR]= 3.28, p=. 004; Caribbean immigrants, OR= 6.17, p=. 005; US-born blacks, OR= 6.17, p=. 06). Compared with US-born white women, immigrant African women (OR=. 18, p<. 001), immigrant Caribbean women (OR=. 11, p=. 001), US-born black women (OR=. 31, p<. 001), and US-born Latinas (OR=. 32, p=. 03) were less likely to want treatment. Conversely, compared with US-born white women, immigrant Latinas (OR= 2.17, p=. 02) were more likely to want treatment. There was a significant stigma-by-immigrant interaction predicting interest in treatment (p<. 001). Stigma reduced the desire for mental health treatment for immigrant women with depression (OR=. 35, p<. 001) to a greater extent than it did for US-born white women with depression (OR=. 52, p=. 24).
Conclusions
Stigma-related concerns are most common among immigrant women and may partly account for underutilization of mental health care services by disadvantaged women from ethnic minority groups.(Psychiatric Services 58: 1547–1554, 2007)
Psychiatric Services