IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v75y2012i6p1128-1133.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Associations of physical symptoms with perceived need for and use of mental health services among Latino and Asian Americans

Author

Listed:
  • Bauer, Amy M.
  • Chen, Chih-Nan
  • Alegría, Margarita

Abstract

Although many believe that low rates of perceived mental health need and service use among racial/ethnic minorities are due, in part, to somatization, data supporting this notion are lacking. This study examined two hypotheses: (1) increased physical symptoms are associated with lower perceived need for mental health services and actual service use; and (2) physical symptoms are most strongly associated with perceived mental health need and service use among first-generation individuals. Data come from the National Latino and Asian-American Study, a nationally-representative household survey in the United States conducted from 2002 to 2003. Participants reported on the presence of fourteen physical symptoms within the past year. Perceived mental health need was present for individuals who endorsed having an emotional or substance use problem or thinking they needed treatment for such a problem within the past year. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates, the number of physical symptoms was positively associated with perceived mental health need and service, an effect that differed by generation. Among first-generation individuals, physical symptoms were associated with increased perceived need and service use. Physical symptoms were not significantly associated with perceived need or service use among third-generation Latinos, but were associated with service use among third-generation Asian-Americans. Physical symptoms do not appear to interfere with mental health problem recognition or service use. In contrast, individuals, especially of the first-generation, with more physical symptoms were more likely to perceive need for and utilize mental health services. Our findings do not support the notion that physical symptoms account for low rates of perceived mental health need and service use among Latino and Asian-Americans.

Suggested Citation

  • Bauer, Amy M. & Chen, Chih-Nan & Alegría, Margarita, 2012. "Associations of physical symptoms with perceived need for and use of mental health services among Latino and Asian Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(6), pages 1128-1133.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:75:y:2012:i:6:p:1128-1133
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.05.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953612004108
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.05.004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Escobar, J.I. & Golding, J.M. & Hough, R.L. & Karno, M. & Burnam, M.A. & Wells, K.B., 1987. "Somatization in the community: Relationship to disability and use of services," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 77(7), pages 837-840.
    2. Sussman, Linda K. & Robins, Lee N. & Earls, Felton, 1987. "Treatment-seeking for depression by black and white Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 187-196, January.
    3. Keyes, Corey L. M. & Ryff, Carol D., 2003. "Somatization and mental health: A comparative study of the idiom of distress hypothesis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(10), pages 1833-1845, November.
    4. Alegria, Margarita & Shrout, Patrick E. & Woo, Meghan & Guarnaccia, Peter & Sribney, William & Vila, Doryliz & Polo, Antonio & Cao, Zhun & Mulvaney-Day, Norah & Torres, Maria & Canino, Glorisa, 2007. "Understanding differences in past year psychiatric disorders for Latinos living in the US," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 214-230, July.
    5. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Bates, Lisa M. & Osypuk, Theresa L. & McArdle, Nancy, 2010. "The effect of immigrant generation and duration on self-rated health among US adults 2003-2007," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(6), pages 1161-1172, September.
    6. Pescosolido, Bernice A. & Gardner, Carol Brooks & Lubell, Keri M., 1998. "How people get into mental health services: Stories of choice, coercion and "muddling through" from "first-timers"," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 275-286, January.
    7. Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A., 2007. "Beyond acculturation: Immigration, discrimination, and health research among Mexicans in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1524-1535, October.
    8. Ring, Adele & Dowrick, Christopher F. & Humphris, Gerry M. & Davies, John & Salmon, Peter, 2005. "The somatising effect of clinical consultation: What patients and doctors say and do not say when patients present medically unexplained physical symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(7), pages 1505-1515, October.
    9. Mojtabai, Ramin, 2008. "Social comparison of distress and mental health help-seeking in the US general population," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 1944-1950, December.
    10. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Pan, Jocelyn & Jun, Hee-Jin & Osypuk, Theresa L. & Emmons, Karen M., 2005. "The effect of immigrant generation on smoking," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1223-1242, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dixon De Silva, Louise E. & Ponting, Carolyn & Ramos, Giovanni & Cornejo Guevara, Maria V. & Chavira, Denise A., 2020. "Urban Latinx parents’ attitudes towards mental health: Mental health literacy and service use," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Sanchez-Vaznaugh, Emma V. & Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A. & Almeida, Joanna, 2012. "Integrating social epidemiology into immigrant health research: A cross-national framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2060-2068.
    2. Francisca M. Antman & Brian Duncan & Stephen J. Trejo, 2020. "Ethnic attrition, assimilation, and the measured health outcomes of Mexican Americans," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 1499-1522, October.
    3. Shell, Alyssa Marie & Peek, M. Kristen & Eschbach, Karl, 2013. "Neighborhood Hispanic composition and depressive symptoms among Mexican-descent residents of Texas City, Texas," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 56-63.
    4. Oh, Hyunsung & Jeong, Chung Hyeon, 2017. "Korean immigrants don't buy health insurance: The influences of culture on self-employed Korean immigrants focusing on structure and functions of social networks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 194-201.
    5. Bijou, Christina & Colen, Cynthia G, 2022. "Shades of health: Skin color, ethnicity, and mental health among Black Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    6. Jatrana, Santosh & Pasupuleti, Samba Siva Rao & Richardson, Ken, 2014. "Nativity, duration of residence and chronic health conditions in Australia: Do trends converge towards the native-born population?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 53-63.
    7. Chapman, Mimi V. & Hall, William J. & Lee, Kent & Colby, Robert & Coyne-Beasley, Tamera & Day, Steve & Eng, Eugenia & Lightfoot, Alexandra F. & Merino, Yesenia & Simán, Florence M. & Thomas, Tainayah , 2018. "Making a difference in medical trainees' attitudes toward Latino patients: A pilot study of an intervention to modify implicit and explicit attitudes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 202-208.
    8. Touma, Fatima & Hummer, Robert A., 2022. "Race/ethnicity, immigrant generation, and physiological dysregulation among U.S. adults entering midlife," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    9. Terriquez, Veronica & Joseph, Tiffany D., 2016. "Ethnoracial inequality and insurance coverage among Latino young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 150-158.
    10. Sloane Burke Winkelman & Elizabeth H. Chaney & Jeffrey W. Bethel, 2013. "Stress, Depression and Coping among Latino Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-16, May.
    11. Ullmann, S. Heidi & Goldman, Noreen & Pebley, Anne R., 2013. "Contextual factors and weight change over time: A comparison between U.S. Hispanics and other population sub-groups," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 40-48.
    12. Arline Geronimus & John Bound & Annie Ro, 2014. "Residential Mobility Across Local Areas in the United States and the Geographic Distribution of the Healthy Population," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(3), pages 777-809, June.
    13. Lubna Rashid & Silvia Cepeda-García, 2021. "Self-Categorising and Othering in Migrant Integration: The Case of Entrepreneurs in Berlin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-14, February.
    14. Nadiya UKRAYINCHUK & Carine DRAPIER, 2021. "Exhausted migrant effect : La santé des travailleurs immigrés en France," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 53, pages 69-100.
    15. Gutierrez-Vazquez, Edith & Flippen, Chenoa & Parrado, Emilio, 2018. "Migration and depression: A cross-national comparison of Mexicans in sending communities and Durham, NC," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 1-10.
    16. Nancy Krieger & Pamela D Waterman & Anna Kosheleva & Jarvis T Chen & Dana R Carney & Kevin W Smith & Gary G Bennett & David R Williams & Elmer Freeman & Beverley Russell & Gisele Thornhill & Kristin M, 2011. "Exposing Racial Discrimination: Implicit & Explicit Measures–The My Body, My Story Study of 1005 US-Born Black & White Community Health Center Members," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(11), pages 1-24, November.
    17. Ayón, Cecilia & Marcenko, Maureen O., 2008. "Depression among Latino children in the public child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(12), pages 1366-1375, December.
    18. Van Hook, Jennifer & Baker, Elizabeth & Altman, Claire E. & Frisco, Michelle L., 2012. "Canaries in a coalmine: Immigration and overweight among Mexican-origin children in the US and Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 125-134.
    19. Thomas L. Chiu, 1994. "The Unique Challenges Faced By Psychiatrists and Other Mental Health Professionals Working in a Multicultural Setting," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 40(1), pages 61-74, March.
    20. Gabriella Berloffa & Francesca Paolini, 2019. "Decomposing Immigrant Differences in Physical and Mental Health: A 'Beyond the Mean' Analysis," DEM Working Papers 2019/4, Department of Economics and Management.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:75:y:2012:i:6:p:1128-1133. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.