Abstract
Latino children in the U.S. have high rates of unmet need for mental health services, perhaps due to biased perceptions of impairment and need for care by parents and providers. We tested this argument using an experimental vignette design. Vignettes described children with problems that varied on severity (mild vs. serious), nature of the problem (internalizing vs. externalizing), as well as gender and ethnicity (Latino vs. Anglo). Raters were Latino and Anglo parents (N = 185) and providers (N = 189). Vignettes with Latino names were viewed as more impaired by both parents and providers, and this effect was significantly stronger in Latino vignettes with less severe problems. Severity and Latino features of vignettes also interacted with judgments of need for service. At higher severity, vignettes with Anglo names were judged to need service more than vignettes with Latino names, despite the same judged levels of impairment. Results are discussed in the light of the unmet need for Latinos.
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Acknowledgment
The authors wish to thank Tom McGuire, Ph.D. for his thoughtful comments on drafts of this document. We would like to express our gratitude to Silvia Gosnell, JD, Ph.D, Lisa Fortuna, M.D., Nick Carson, M.D., Adrianne Anderson, Mariam O’Neal and Yaminette Diaz for their valuable collaboration and support in data collection and implementation of this study, as well as other collaborating clinicians at both CHA and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico.
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This study was supported by NIH Research Grant # P50 MHO 73469-01 funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, and # P60 MDO 02261 (NCMHD) funded by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities.
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Chavez, L.M., Shrout, P.E., Alegría, M. et al. Ethnic Differences in Perceived Impairment and Need for Care. J Abnorm Child Psychol 38, 1165–1177 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9428-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9428-8