Determining the role of acculturative stress in predicting mental health service use among Latinx immigrants

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Acculturative stress is an important factor that affects health for Latinx immigrants in the US, with multiple studies identifying a link between depression and acculturative stress in this population. However, far fewer studies have examined the specific role and relationship of acculturative stress on mental health service use in this population. Through the lens of Yang’s 2016 Model of Immigrant Health Service Use, this study aimed to examine the role of acculturative stress in predicting mental health service use in a sample of Latinx immigrants in the Southeast US.

Design

We conducted a secondary data analysis from a longitudinal study of Latinx immigrant health (n = 391).

Results

Our study found that while total acculturative stress was not significantly associated with mental health service use in this sample, parenting stress was a significant predictor of mental health service use in the past six months when controlling for covariates (OR: 1.043, 95% CI [1.009, 1.078]). Additionally, important Predisposing and Need for Healthcare factors were significantly associated with mental health service use, specifically: males were less likely to utilize mental health services than females (OR: 0.401, 95% CI [0.166-0.968]), English language acculturation was positively associated with mental health service use (OR: 1.953, 95% CI [1.130, 3.377]), and depression was positively associated with mental health service use (OR: 1.107, 95% CI [1.027, 1.194]).

Conclusion

These findings support the need for more culturally sensitive mental health services, and the need to develop strategies to engage males and less acculturated individuals in mental health services to promote health equity among Latinx immigrants.

KEYWORDS:

• Acculturative stress
• mental health service use
• depression
• Latinx immigrants

Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 10: Reduced inequalities

Acknowledgements

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Approval was granted by the IRB through the following protocol: Pro00087792. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. This is not applicable to our study as no individual personal data has been disclosed in the manuscript. Consent to publish is not applicable to our study as no individual personal data has been disclosed in the manuscript. Author conceptualization: Ivana Premasinghe, Allison Stafford, Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Gabriela Nagy, and Brian McCabe. Methodology: Ivana Premasinghe, Allison Stafford, Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Gabriela Nagy, Brian McCabe; Formal analysis and investigation: Ivana Premasinghe, Allison Stafford, and Brian McCabe; Writing – original draft preparation: Ivana Premasinghe, Allison Stafford; review and editing: Ivana Premasinghe, Allison Stafford, Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Gabriela Nagy, Brian McCabe; Funding acquisition: Ivana Premasinghe, Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (award number R01MD012249) and the Dr. Bernard J. Carroll Research Scholarship in Psychiatry through Duke University School of Medicine. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.