No abstract

Previous research has documented that ethnic minorities, particularly Latinos, obtain fewer mental health services than Caucasians (Kearney, Draper, & Baron 2005; Sue, Fujino, Hu, Takeuchi, & Zane, 1991). Conceivably, this may be due to a wide array of cultural issues (e.g., negative stigma attached to mental health, and language, socio-economic, and acculturation barriers), symptom disparities across Caucasian and Latino groups, or lack of effective outreach methods by clinicians and researchers. However, research is limited. As a result, Latinos may be insufficiently represented in clinical studies for OCD, making it unclear whether evidence-based treatments demonstrate the same efficacy and effectiveness for Latinos as has been demonstrated for Caucasians. The current study takes an in-depth analysis of 98 efficacy and effectiveness studies for OCD from across the Western hemisphere and reports the rates of Latino inclusion from each sample. Ninety clinical studies in the US and Canada, as well as eight clinical studies in Mexico and Central America were reviewed. Findings showed that only 11 (24%) US and Canadian studies included Latino participants, illustrating an overwhelming underrepresentation of Latinos in clinical studies for OCD. Further explanation of the results and their implications are discussed, along with suggestions for effectively improving access to mental health research and appropriate treatments.

The current study examined the therapeutic utility of creative endeavors for the reduction of anxiety among undergraduate college students enrolled in a public university in the United States. Students were randomly assigned to participate in one of three conditions: an individual art project (n ¼ 30), a group art project (n ¼ 30), or a non-art control project (n ¼ 30). An overall within-subjects effect of anxiety was noted in which participants reported reduced anxiety levels following intervention. A statistical interaction showed that anxiety was reduced by both individual and group arts interventions, but not by the control condition in which participants completed puzzles. The extent of anxiety reduction did not differ between the individual and group conditions. In conclusion, although presently underutilized, arts interventions may be a viable form of anxiety-reduction among college students.

No abstract