Barbara Hagan School of Nursing & Health Sciences, Molloy University, Rockville Centre, New York, USA.
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing Hunter College, CUNY, New York, NY, USA.
J Immigr Minor Health. 2024 Feb;26(1):91-100. doi: 10.1007/s10903-023-01538-6. Epub 2023 Sep 7.
After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Asian Americans in the United States have experienced a surge in anti-Asian crimes, leading to heightened psychological distress among this community. Consequently, the mental well-being of Asian Americans demands greater attention than ever. Regrettably, Asians tend to underutilize or delayed mental health care treatments. This study examines the conventional and alternative mental health service utilization among Asians in the United States according to their English proficiency. From the 2015-2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this study examined 3,424 self-identified non-Hispanic Asians aged 18-64 with Kessler score of at least 5. Stratified bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression analysis were conducted. Regardless of English proficiency, Asians did not utilize alternative mental health service more than conventional mental health service. However, those with limited English proficiency consistently utilize care less than those with English proficiency. Need factors, such as mental distress severity and self-rated health status, were significant factors associated with their mental health service utilization. English proficiency remains a structural factor in preventing Asians from utilizing mental health services regardless of the nature of services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more Asians have been experiencing mental distress. This study demonstrates a particular need for mental health services that are culturally specific and Asian language friendly.
2020 年 COVID-19 大流行爆发后，美国的亚裔群体经历了一波反亚裔犯罪浪潮，导致该群体的心理困扰加剧。因此，亚裔的心理健康比以往任何时候都更需要关注。遗憾的是，亚洲人往往较少利用或延迟接受心理健康护理。本研究根据英语水平，考察了美国亚裔人群对传统和替代心理健康服务的利用情况。本研究使用了 2015-2018 年全国药物使用和健康调查的数据，调查了 3424 名自我认定的非西班牙裔亚裔成年人（年龄在 18-64 岁之间），这些人 Kessler 得分至少为 5 分。进行了分层二变量分析和多变量逻辑回归分析。无论英语水平如何，亚裔人群都没有比传统心理健康服务更多地利用替代心理健康服务。然而，那些英语水平有限的人比英语水平高的人更不愿意接受护理。需要因素，如心理困扰严重程度和自我评估的健康状况，是与他们的心理健康服务利用相关的重要因素。英语水平仍然是阻止亚洲人利用心理健康服务的结构性因素，无论服务性质如何。由于 COVID-19 大流行，更多的亚洲人正在经历精神困扰。本研究表明，需要特别关注文化特定和支持亚洲语言的心理健康服务。
