Caplan Susan
1 Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA.
Hisp Health Care Int. 2019 Mar;17(1):4-10. doi: 10.1177/1540415319828265.
Hispanics/Latinos utilize mental health care at a rate that is about half that of non-Hispanic Whites. Stigma and cultural and religious values play a significant role in mental health care utilization disparities. The purpose of this study was to explore beliefs about mental illness among Latino faith-based communities.
A qualitative approach was used to explore perceptions of mental illness that were elicited during "El Buen Consejo," a mental health literacy intervention delivered within three faith-based settings.
Participants were socialized to believe that persons with mental illness were dangerous, out of control, and suffering from an incurable illness that resulted in rejection and ostracism. Most families would deny the existence of depression and mental illness, unless symptoms greatly interfered with daily functioning or were life-threatening. Religious coping such as prayer, and faith in God, were believed to be protective factors. Causal attributions for depression were both biomedical and religious, such as lack of faith, not praying, demons, and sinful behaviors of parents.
Latinos rely upon churches as a major social, educational, and spiritual resource. The cultural values among Latinos can be a source of strength but also contribute to stigma. The faith-based community is an important target for mental health literacy and antistigma interventions.
西班牙裔/拉丁裔使用心理健康护理的比例约为非西班牙裔白人的一半。耻辱感以及文化和宗教价值观在心理健康护理利用差异中起着重要作用。本研究的目的是探讨拉丁裔基于信仰的社区对精神疾病的看法。
采用定性方法来探究在“El Buen Consejo”期间引发的对精神疾病的认知，“El Buen Consejo”是在三个基于信仰的场所开展的一项心理健康素养干预活动。
参与者在社会化过程中形成了这样的观念，即患有精神疾病的人是危险的、失控的，并且患有无法治愈的疾病，这导致了他人的排斥和孤立。大多数家庭会否认抑郁症和精神疾病的存在，除非症状严重干扰日常功能或危及生命。诸如祈祷等宗教应对方式以及对上帝的信仰被认为是保护因素。对抑郁症的因果归因既有生物医学方面的，也有宗教方面的，比如缺乏信仰、不祈祷、恶魔以及父母的罪恶行为。
拉丁裔将教会视为主要的社会、教育和精神资源。拉丁裔的文化价值观既可以成为力量的源泉，但也会导致耻辱感。基于信仰的社区是心理健康素养和反耻辱干预的重要目标。
