Protective and risk factors associated with comorbid mental health disorders and psychological distress among Latinx subgroups

ABSTRACT

Psychological distress, often coupled with comorbid mental illnesses, affects Latinxs at higher rates and severity than other ethnic groups. This study examined differences in the association between comorbid mental illnesses and psychological distress between Latinx subgroups. Using a sample of 28,630 adults from the National Health Interview Survey, this study used hierarchical multiple regression models to test for differences in psychological distress among various Latinx subgroups and interactions effects between Latinx subgroups and psychological distress. The presence of multiple mental health disorders and comorbid mental health disorders were associated with greater rates of psychological distress. The relationship between mental health disorders and psychological distress varied by Latinx subgroup. An interaction test yielded a significant interaction between being Puerto Rican and having no mental health disorders. Puerto Ricans with no mental health disorders report higher rates of psychological distress when compared to other Latinx subgroups. The implications of the study findings for mental health services for Latinx groups and for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Latinx mental health
• psychological distress
• comorbidity; National Health Interview Survey

Acknowledgments

The primary author would like to express his gratitude to Dr. Thomas Davis at the School of Social Work at California State University, San Bernardino for his guidance and mentorship in reviewing this work.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/nhis_2012_data_release.htm

Declaration of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.