On the role of mental health service structure in community senior services for Puerto Rican older adults

Objectives and Significance: To examine how the structure of mental health services influences understanding and utilization of those services by Puerto Rican older adults in community senior centers. Having exposure and access to mental health services in community contexts may lead Puerto Rican older adults who use community-based services to lesser stigma toward mental health services and increased service use.

Methods: The total sample was 167 Puerto Rican older adults in Puerto Rico and New York City. A mixed methods design was used with semi-structured interviews on mental health awareness and mental illness perceptions as well as quantitative measurement instruments containing questions about migration activity, mental health need, awareness and use of mental health services. Regression analyses were performed on quantitative data and thematic analysis on qualitative data.

Results: Findings indicated that the structure of mental health service is significant for Puerto Rican older adults utilizing senior centers. The significance of the services structure on awareness of mental health services is associated with migration, age, and mental health status. Significance of service structures on utilization of mental health services is associated with age and mental health status while modified by the type of housing where participants reside. Narratives of mental illness differed by structure.

Implications: A major implication from the results is that to better integrate the delivery of mental health services for older Puerto Ricans in community senior centers, it may be important to conduct a focused intervention using mental health assessments to identify those with mental health needs.