Geographic and Racial-Ethnic Differences in Satisfaction With and Perceived Benefits of Mental Health Services

Abstract

Objective This study examined whether racial-ethnic differences in satisfaction with and perceived benefits from mental health services vary by geographic region among U.S. adults. Methods Drawn from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), selected samples consisted of 2,160 adults age 18 and older from diverse racial-ethnic groups (Asian, black, Hispanic/Latino, and white) who had used mental health services in the past 12 months. Generalized linear model analysis was conducted for the United States as a whole and separately by geographic region (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West) after adjustment for covariates. Results In the national sample, no significant main effects of race-ethnicity and geographic region were found in either satisfaction with or perceived benefits from mental health services. In the stratified analyses for geographic regions, however, significant racial-ethnic differences were observed in the West; blacks in the West were significantly more likely to report higher satisfaction and perceived benefits, whereas Hispanics/Latinos in the West were significantly less likely to do so. Conclusions The findings suggest that there are regional variations of racial-ethnic differences in satisfaction with and perceived benefits from mental health services among U.S. adults and that addressing needs of Hispanics/Latinos in the West may help reduce racial-ethnic disparities in mental health care. Clinical and policy implications are discussed.

Predictors of suicidal ideation in Korean American older adults: analysis of the Memory and Aging Study of Koreans (MASK)

“…Immigrants who are less fluent in English and less acculturated are at higher risk for suicide (Hovey, ; Iliceto et al ., ), and they are less likely to utilize mental health services (Administration on Aging, ; Kim et al ., ). Similarly, in the present study, Korean American older adults with shorter residency in the USA were more likely to report suicidal ideation.…”

Mental health care and delivery system at Temeke hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…Dissatisfaction with services was attributed to poor service environment, lack of medication, and unchanging patient condition. Although similar studies in low income countries could not be easily found, mixed feelings about satisfaction with mental health services have been reported in other parts of the world such as southern Sweden, Norway, and USA [46–48]. Patient satisfaction in psychiatry is a complex issue which has various influencing factors such as age, residence, type of disorder, duration of illness, and social functioning [49–51].…”

Barriers to and facilitators of diabetes self‐management with elderly Korean‐American immigrants

“…; Kim et al. ). Unfortunately, no descriptive or intervention studies have included KAEs living in the Midwest.…”

“…A few other studies explored the challenges of living with T2DM in Georgia and Maryland, where large Korean communities also exist (Cha et al 2012;Nam et al 2013). These east and west coast Korean communities differ significantly from the Korean community in the Midwest in terms of diversity, access to care, use of healthcare services and size of supportive networks (Kim et al 2014). These geographic differences in healthcare services create a gap in satisfaction with and access to healthcare services for ethnic minorities and especially for older adults (Jimenex et al 2013;Kim et al 2014).…”

“…These east and west coast Korean communities differ significantly from the Korean community in the Midwest in terms of diversity, access to care, use of healthcare services and size of supportive networks (Kim et al 2014). These geographic differences in healthcare services create a gap in satisfaction with and access to healthcare services for ethnic minorities and especially for older adults (Jimenex et al 2013;Kim et al 2014). Unfortunately, no descriptive or intervention studies have included KAEs living in the Midwest.…”