189387 SESSION ABSTRACT- “Crossing Conceptual Borders: Issues in Latino Mental Health”

Monday, October 27, 2008: 12:30 PM

Margarita Alegria, PhD , Psychiatry--Center for Multicultural MH Research, Harvard Medical School, Somerville, MA
The Latino population is expected to grow to nearly a quarter of the total U.S. population by the year 2025. Latinos are not only extremely heterogeneous in sociodemographic and community characteristics; their mental health disorder rates and service use profiles tend to vary broadly across immigrant and U.S.-born Latino groups. This panel presents findings addressing the role of acculturation and context and how they relate to psychopathology and service use. We examine the potential pathways to illness as well as how certain groups of the Latino population, such as Latino elderly, demonstrate increased risk of psychiatric illness as compared to other minorities and non-Latino whites. The panel also presents new findings of how health preferences differ across minority groups. The four papers presented in this session will examine these different issues unique to Latino mental health using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). The titles of the proposed papers are: “Ethnic Minority Elderly and the Prevalence of Psychiatric Illnesses”, “Community Correlates of Access to Mental Health Services Among Latinos and Whites”, “Pathways and Correlates Connecting Exposure to the U.S. and Latino Mental Health” and “Do Health Preferences Vary Across Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations with Mental Health Disorders? An Exploratory Study.” Dr. Margarita Alegria (malegria@charesearch.org; (617) 503-8447) will moderate the session.

Learning Objectives:
Describe the role of acculturation and context and how they relate to psychopathology and mental health service use among Latinos. Apply various statistical methods to understand correlates and pathways of mental health services disparities. Identify the clinical and policy implications of findings from the National Latino and Asian American Study.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 25 years experience on the topic of Latinos and mental health disparities and have authored hundreds of manuscripts and book chapters.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.