(PS6-62) Bridging the Divide in Access and Attitudes Towards Mental Healthcare in Different Racial and Ethnic Immigrant Communities

Abstract Text: As of 2023, there are 47.8 million immigrant residents, making up nearly 14.3% of the U.S population that have unique mental health needs and barriers (American Immigration Council, 2024). Prior studies have identified structural challenges like language barriers, unemployment, fear/mistrust of mainstream services and immigration status, and wider racial discrimination as factors affecting help-seeking in immigrant communities (Mohammadifirouzeh et al.,2023). Though immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds may have similarities in terms of some of the barriers they face to access care, they differ from each other in the cultural and social context surrounding mental health (Kirmayer, 2022). This study aims to explore the influence of culture and race on suicide-related outcomes and attitudes towards seeking mental health treatment in different immigrant populations in the U.S.
Participants were n= 302 college students who self-reported about immigration status, suicidal ideation, history of mental health treatment, and attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH). Of this sample, 68.1% self-identified as immigrants, with 19.7% as Asian immigrants, 18.3% as Latinx immigrants, 10.5% as Multiracial/Other immigrants, 8% as Black immigrants, 7% as Middle Eastern/North African immigrants (MENA), and 4.3% as White immigrants.
Pearsons Chi-Square tests showed significant differences between different racial groups within the immigrant population in their mental health treatment history (Χ² (8) = 17.05 p = 0.009), even though there were no significant differences in their responses to having suicidal thoughts or having a diagnosis of mental illness. Despite these findings, a one-way between subjects ANOVA showed significant differences between racial groups in their attitudes towards receiving mental health treatment [F (6, 282) = 3.11, p = 0.006]. Post hoc testing indicated that MENA immigrants had the lowest ATSPPH scores amongst all the immigrant racial groups (M = 1.65, S.E = 0.11) which indicates more negative attitudes toward mental health treatment in this population. This is in line with prior research looking at mental health attitudes among MENA individuals in the U.S who stated lack of understanding of mental illness within their communities, along with perceived and self-stigma, and religious practices/beliefs as significant barriers (Mechammil et al., 2019). This population had significantly lower ATSPPH scores than Non-immigrants (p= 0.011), Latinx immigrants (p < 0.001), White immigrants (p= 0.026), and Multiracial/ other immigrants (p < 0.001).
Thus, while there were no significant racial differences in suicidal ideation or mental health diagnoses, there was a difference in expressed behavior for accessing mental health treatment between racial groups. In line with this finding, there were also significant ethnic differences in attitudes towards help-seeking. Future research should explore strategies to dispel the misinformation surrounding mental health in the MENA population, with a focus on engaging with religious beliefs that affect help-seeking behaviors. Clinical implications for these differences in thoughts versus expressed behavior will be addressed.