Variation in serious mental illness among Hispanic national origin groups: Evidence from the National Health Interview Survey

Background: Mental disorders are prevalent in the general population and are associated with substantial disability. However, less is known about the prevalence of serious mental illness among major US Hispanic populations. We estimated the prevalence of serious mental illness among Puerto Rican, Mexican, Mexican-American, Cuban/Cuban-American and Dominican groups. In addition, we examined socioedemographic predictors of serious mental illness within each group. Methods: We combined and analyzed the 2000-2002 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS), annual in-person interviews of a probability sample of US residents. Self-described national origin categories were used to define subgroups. Unweighted sample sizes ranged from 504 (Dominican) to 5872 (Mexican; median N = 1659). The K6 instrument was used to screen for current (past month) serious mental illness. This 6-item instrument screens for the presence or absence of any mood, anxiety, or psychotic mental disorder. The K6 has good categorization accuracy for the presence or absence of any of these conditions relative to structured clinical interviews. Results: The probable prevalence of any serious mental illness among all Hispanics was estimated at 3.6% but varied by Hispanic national origin group, ranging from 3.1% among Mexicans to 6.2% among Puerto Ricans. In comparison, prevalence in non-Hispanic Whites was estimated at 3%. Conclusions: Clinically important variation exists in distress and probable serious mental illness, as well as in predictors of mental illness, among Hispanic groups. This surveillance may inform mental health priorities for US Hispanic populations.