Objective

To advance our understanding of racial/ethnic differences in help seeking for mental health conditions, this article tests whether differences in serious psychological distress or functional impairment account for racial/ethnic differences in perceived need for treatment.

Method

Data from the 2009–2014 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, a survey of a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population, were analyzed. Logistic regression models were used to test whether differences in psychological distress, assessed with the Kessler-6, or functional impairment, assessed with the WHO Disability Assessment Scale, account for racial/ethnic differences in perceived need for mental health treatment.

Results

Perceived need, psychological distress, and functional impairment all vary significantly across racial/ethnic groups; psychological distress is highest among Hispanics interviewed in English and lowest among Hispanics interviewed in Spanish, while functional impairment is highest among Non-Hispanic Whites and lowest among Hispanics interviewed in Spanish. Associations with perceived need vary across racial/ethnic groups for distress (X² ₍₅₎ = 22.14, p = .001), but not for impairment (X² ₍₅₎ = 8.73, p = .121). Associations between distress and perceived need are significantly weaker among Hispanics interviewed in Spanish than among Non-Hispanic Whites (OR = 1.13 vs. 1.08, p = .001). Differences across racial/ethnic groups in perceived need are sustained after adjustment for distress and impairment.

Conclusions

Differences in perceived need across racial/ethnic groups are not attributable to differences in distress and impairment. Heterogeneity in the relationships of psychological distress and functional impairment with perceived need for mental health treatment is related to language, a strong indicator of country of birth.

中文翻译：

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全国代表性样本中的心理健康治疗需求中的困扰，障碍和种族/种族差异。

目的

为了增进我们对种族/族裔差异的了解，以帮助寻求心理健康状况，本文测试了严重的心理困扰或功能障碍的差异是否解释了治疗需求中的种族/族裔差异。

方法

分析了2009-2014年全国药物使用和健康调查的数据，该调查是对美国人口的全国代表性样本的调查。使用Logistic回归模型测试用Kessler-6评估的心理困扰差异或用WHO残障评估量表评估的功能障碍是否能说明种族/族裔对心理健康治疗需求的差异。

结果

在各个种族/族裔群体中，感知的需求，心理困扰和功能障碍均存在很大差异；在以英语进行访谈的西班牙裔美国人中，心理困扰最高，而在以西班牙裔进行访谈的西班牙裔美国人中，心理困扰最低，而在非西班牙裔白人中，功能障碍最高，在以西班牙裔进行的西班牙裔美国人中，最低。在不同种族/族裔群体中，因遇难而感觉到的需要的关联有所不同（X ² _（5）  = 22.14，p = .001），但对于损伤而言则没有（X ² _（5）  = 8.73，p = .121）。西班牙裔西班牙裔受访者与非西班牙裔白人相比，苦恼与感知需求之间的关联性明显弱（OR = 1.13 vs. 1.08，p= .001）。调整苦恼和损害后，种族/族裔群体在感知需求方面的差异持续存在。

结论

各个种族/族裔群体的感知需求差异并不归因于困扰和损害的差异。心理困扰和功能障碍与认为需要接受心理保健的关系中的异质性与语言有关，语言是出生国的有力指标。