No abstract

The results of this study underscore the need for continuing concern about the use of case management and other mental health services by persons from ethnic minorities.

This study qualitatively assessed the need for mental health services among Latino older adults in San Diego, California. The primary mental health issue was depression. Primary organizational barriers to accessing services were language and cultural barriers secondary to a lack of translators, dearth of information on available services, and scarcity of providers representative of the Latino community. Other challenges included a lack of transportation and housing, and the need for socialization and social support. Latino older adults experienced their unmet needs in ways associated with their cultural background and minority status. Age-and culturally-appropriate services are needed to overcome these barriers.

The U.S. Surgeon General's report Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity--A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) identified significant disparities in mental health care for Latinos and recommended directions for future research and mental health services. We update that report by reviewing five groundbreaking research projects on the mental health of Latinos that were published since 2001. National studies of adults and children, longitudinal designs, and analyses of Latino subgroups characterize these investigations. Despite the increasing sophistication of disparities research, these landmark studies, as well as the research in the supplemental report, can be characterized as documenting disparities in care. We argue that the next wave of research should give greater attention to reducing and eliminating disparities. Accordingly, we apply Rogler and Cortes's (1993) framework of pathways to care to the study of Latinos with schizophrenia. Specifically, we draw on research regarding the recognition of illness, social networks (families) and their association with the course of illness, and interventions. We illustrate examples at each pathway that have the potential to reduce disparities. We argue that implementing interventions synchronously across multiple pathways has considerable potential to reduce and eventually eliminate disparities in mental health care.

Objectives This article describes the process of developing a culturally based family intervention for Spanish-speaking Latino families with a relative diagnosed with schizophrenia. Method Our iterative intervention development process was guided by a cultural exchange framework and based on findings from an ethnographic study. We piloted this multifamily group 16-session intervention with 59 Latino families in a randomized control trial. Data were collected on family- and client-level outcomes, and poststudy focus groups were conducted with intervention participants. Results Preliminary evidence indicates that the intervention is effective by increasing illness knowledge and reducing family burden. Conclusions This work can provide a model for how to integrate cultural factors into psychosocial services and enhance interventions in real-world settings for culturally diverse populations.