Mental health status among Asian American subgroups in New York City

Background/Significance: Asian Americans are a quickly growing ethnic group in the U.S. and New York City (NYC). Research has identified poor mental health as a risk factor for outcomes such as diabetes and hypertension, but little research has investigated poor mental health within Asian American immigrant populations. Additionally, Asian American subgroups are often aggregated. Methods: Community health needs assessments were administered to Asian American communities in NYC between 2004 and 2011. A total of 1137 surveys were collected in 6 communities. Mental health risk was determined using the PHQ-2 scale; a score of 3 or greater was considered at-risk. Socio-demographics, acculturation, and health-related variables will be run by at-risk/not at-risk for poor mental health among each subgroup. A model predicting at-risk for poor mental health will be run for the entire group, adjusting for subgroup. Results: Vietnamese had the greatest percentage of at-risk scores (20%), followed by South Asians (15%); Chinese displayed the lowest percentage (6%). Preliminary analyses found younger age to be associated with at-risk PHQ2 scores. Further analyses will examine subgroups separately focusing on socio-demographics (including education and family size), acculturation (including time in U.S. and English proficiency), and health outcomes (including diabetes and hypertension), among other factors; a final model will predict at-risk for poor mental health. Discussion/Conclusions: Mental health status differed by Asian subgroup. It is necessary to identify factors associated with poor mental health among Asian Americans, so that researchers and health professionals are better able to better target limited resources within these communities.