(PS6-73) Sociocultural Predictors of Mental Health Accessibility: Perspectives from Psychotherapy Providers and Community Members

Evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, have demonstrated effectiveness in addressing depression and anxiety disorders (Casas et al., 2020; Hofmann et al., 2012). Yet, recent national statistics indicate that fewer than half of individuals with depression and anxiety receive treatment. Furthermore, the rates of service utilization are even lower among racial and ethnic minorities, with Latinx and Black adults reporting some of the lowest figures (SAMHSA, 2021). While there has been an extensive research focus on barriers to psychotherapeutic care, individuals from marginalized ethnic and racial communities continue to face substantial challenges in accessing these interventions (Lu et al., 2021). One key reason for this continued gap is unexplored sociocultural factors such as acculturation, social support, religious affiliation, and experiences of discrimination, which may be especially relevant for ethnic and racial minorities in the context of psychotherapy. Additionally, studies tend to focus on only the client or a provider perspective and put less attention on studying the possible discrepancy that may occur between the barriers clients encounter and those perceived by providers. This study seeks to explore how sociocultural factors contribute to barriers to care by examining both marginalized community members' and mental health providers' perspectives. We recruited 60 participants (30 psychotherapy providers and 30 Latinx or Black adults from historically marginalized communities) who completed self-report questionnaires assessing demographics, acculturation, experiences of discrimination, perceived social support, and barriers to care. First, we will examine differences in perceived barriers between community members and providers using a series of t-tests. Second, we will use multiple regression to investigate how sociocultural factors (e.g., acculturation, social support, religious affiliation, experiences of discrimination) predict community members’ rated severity of perceived barriers to care. Finally, we will conduct multiple regression to explore how sociocultural factors (e.g., demographics, experiences with discrimination, and previous experience treating marginalized communities) predict providers' rated severity of perceived barriers to care. Data collection has been recently completed; data analysis and findings will be available before the conference. The insights gained from this study will help establish recommended practices for increasing access to and engagement with evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy for underserved populations.