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Parental Cultural Affiliation and Youth Mental Health Service Use

NCJ Number
218642
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 529-542
Author(s)
Judy Ho; May Yeh; Kristen McCabe; Richard L. Hough
Date Published
May 2007
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the impact of parental acculturation level on the relationship between race/ethnicity and youth mental health services use.
Abstract
Results indicated that parental acculturation level only partially mediated the relationship between race/ethnicity and mental heath service use for Asian/Pacific Islander and Latino youth. Significant race/ethnicity differences were found for mental health service use at the 2-year follow-up, which suggested that Latinos and Asian/Pacific Islander youth were significantly less likely than non-Hispanic White youth to use mental health services. These findings held true after controlling for youth age, youth gender, household income, parental education, parent gender, and youth symptoms. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating Hispanic and Asian children are underrepresented in mental health services compared to White children. The findings suggest that for minority families, particularly Latinos and Asian/Pacific Islanders, affinity to an alternative cultural group is more important than the degree of affinity to mainstream American culture in the decision to utilize mental health services. Future research should examine how the acculturation levels of youths impact their decision to seek mental health services, particularly among older youths who have higher rates of self-referral. Data on 1,364 at-risk youth were drawn from the “Patterns of Care” Study, a larger study of a stratified random sample of at-risk youth active in at least 1 of 5 public sectors of care. Participants were African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, or non-Hispanic White. Participants completed interviews at baseline and at a 2-year follow-up that measured demographic characteristics, emotional/behavioral problems, parental acculturation level, and mental health service utilization through primary caregiver. Data were coded and were statistically analyzed using SPSS software. Tables, references