Value of community based participatory research in a Vietnamese community: Accessing the mental health care system in San Bernardino community

Background: As the Vietnamese language nears San Bernardino County's (SBC) threshold languages, practitioners and researchers note the common post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the limited use of mental health services by the Vietnamese community. Yet studies report the reality of largely unmet mental health needs of racial/ethnic minority populations. The Vietnamese population remains a highly homogenous community as well as one of the most marginalized Asian-Pacific Islander populations in San Bernardino County. The project aim was to determine the existing culture-specific barriers which prevent the Vietnamese community from accessing mental health services. Methodology: Based on the principles of appreciative inquiry (AI), Project Access study design integrated a mixed-methods approach while utilizing a dynamic social ecological systems model to identify the social context, perceptions, access, and use of services for behavioral health among Vietnamese. The Vietnamese community and researchers communicated with each other via Vietnamese graduate students who were trained in CBPR and qualitative research methods. Five focus groups, 21 key-informant interviews, and 73 surveys of consumers and non-consumers of mental health services were conducted with the Vietnamese community. Results: Key outcomes include identification of barriers (attitudinal, structural), culturally specific perceptions, utilization rates, and community-generated recommendations for policy and systems change. Conclusion: Recommendations emphasize addressing the language barrier that prevents the Vietnamese community from accessing mental health services. There is a natural void of Vietnamese professionals in the area which could be addressed by creating a network within the Vietnamese community for support, education, and reducing feelings of isolation.