Latino Disparities in Mental Health Care in California

Ethnic minority groups constitute a large segment of the U.S. population and are typically underserved in terms of accessing and utilizing mental health services. We explored the perspectives and experiences of Latino stakeholders in California to help us develop community-based strategies related to access and utilization of mental health services as well as prevention and early intervention. We conducted 11 community forums with individuals who represented a wide spectrum of sectors such as consumer, family members, ethnic service managers, cultural competence workers, promotores/as, teachers, professor, counselors, researchers and others. To analyze the data, we created a database that included all 11 summaries from the forums and used Atlas ti a qualitative data analysis software package, to facilitate the coding and compiling of data into categories. In general the participants saw negative perceptions about mental health care as a significant factor contributing to limited or no access to care. Among the many concerns, stigma, culture, masculinity, exposure to violence, and lack of information and awareness were the most common. The data showed that the following five communities and cultural assets were critical elements to improving access to care: (1) individual and community resiliency, (2) family involvement, (3) church and religious leaders, (4) community role models and mentors, and (5) community Pláticas.