Psychiatry. 2020 Summer;83(2):149-160. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2020.1762394.
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.
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.
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 (X = 22.14, = .001), but not for impairment (X = 8.73, = .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, = .001). Differences across racial/ethnic groups in perceived need are sustained after adjustment for distress and impairment.
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.
为了深入了解心理健康问题寻求帮助方面的种族/民族差异，本文旨在检验严重心理困扰或功能障碍的差异是否可以解释治疗需求感知方面的种族/民族差异。
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进行的调查。使用逻辑回归模型来检验 Kessler-6 评估的心理困扰或世界卫生组织残疾评估量表评估的功能障碍差异是否可以解释治疗需求感知方面的种族/民族差异。
不同种族/民族群体之间的治疗需求感知、心理困扰和功能障碍都存在显著差异；接受英语访谈的西班牙裔受访者的心理困扰最高，而接受西班牙语访谈的西班牙裔受访者的心理困扰最低，而功能障碍则在非西班牙裔白人中最高，在接受西班牙语访谈的西班牙裔受访者中最低。与治疗需求感知相关的关联在不同种族/民族群体中因困扰（X ²=22.14， =0.001）而异，但不因功能障碍（X ²=8.73， =0.121）而异。与西班牙语访谈的西班牙裔受访者相比，非西班牙裔白人群体的困扰与治疗需求感知之间的关联明显较弱（OR=1.13 比 1.08， =0.001）。在调整困扰和功能障碍后，不同种族/民族群体对治疗需求感知的差异仍然存在。
不同种族/民族群体对治疗需求感知的差异不能归因于困扰和功能障碍的差异。心理困扰和功能障碍与心理健康治疗需求感知之间的关系存在异质性，这与语言有关，语言是出生国的一个重要指标。
