Latinx Youth's Mental Health Needs and Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Service Utilization

• Published in: Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2024-02, Vol.35 (1), p.341-358
• Main Authors: Giraldo-Santiago, Natalia, Bjugstad, Arlene, Cardoso, Jodi Berger, Chen, Tzuan A, Brabeck, Kalina, López, Ruth M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Capitation; Economic hardship; Female; Health needs; Health Services Needs and Demand - statistics & numerical data; Hispanic or Latino - psychology; Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Immigrants; Male; Mental Disorders - ethnology; Mental health; Mental health professionals; Mental Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - ethnology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Risk factors; Secondary schools; Social factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomics; Underserved populations; United States; Young Adult; Youth
• ISSN: 1049-2089; 1548-6869; 1548-6869
• DOI: 10.1353/hpu.2024.a919822

This study examined mental health needs and risk factors associated with service use among Latinx high school students in two cities in the United States. We explored how socioeconomic characteristics, school location, youth and parental nativity, and self-perceived clinical needs were associated with the odds of youths seeing a mental health provider. Data were collected from 306 Latinx youths during the 2018-19 school year. Most youths (78%) self-reported symptoms of anxiety, trauma, or depression above the clinical range. None of these clinical needs predicted service utilization. Youth experiencing less economic hardship and having a mother from South America were almost five times more likely to use services than their counterparts. Similarly, males and older respondents were more likely to be underserved than females and younger respondents. Implications to ensure equitable access to services among older, low-income Latinx youth, particularly those from Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, are discussed.