292704
Exploring positive deviance approach for promoting utilization of professional mental health services among Asian and Latino middle and older aged immigrant women
Monday, November 4, 2013
: 9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Ping Ma,
Department of Global Community Health and Behaviroal Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane university, New Orleans, LA
Katherine Theall, PhD,
Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Background: The Positive Deviance approach is based on the premise that some individuals, families and communities can overcome constraints and reach positive health outcomes than their peers facing similar constraints. This study aims to apply the positive deviance concept to exploring key factors that enable immigrant women with mental disorders to utilize professional mental health services successfully (positive deviants) compared with non-positive deviants who also had mental disorders but failed seeking professional mental health services. Method: 162 Asian and Latino immigrant women with any diagnosed mental disorder (lifetime anxiety disorder, mood disorder, suicide ideation, or substance use) aged 50 and above from National Latino and Asian American Survey (NLAAS) were examined. Four categories of key factors including individual-related, Immigration history-related, neighborhood-related and psychosocial-related factors were examined. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. Result: After controlling for demographic variables and the seriousness of mental disorders, the positive deviants have significantly better English ability (aOR=2.7, 95%CI: 1.67-4.35), more friend support (aOR=1.6, 95%CI: 1.04 -2.53) and more frequent to talk to others about their emotions problems (aOR=11.7, 95%CI: 1.59-85.25) than non-positive deviants. The health insurance plans among positive deviants are 0.16 times less likely to require referral to specialist compared with non-positive deviants. Conclusion: The positive deviance framework and key identified factors (English proficiency, friend support, communication attitudes, requirement of health insurance plan for seeking professional mental health services) should be addressed in the following community-based intervention program to improve the utilization of professional mental health services among old immigrant women.
Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Describe positive deviance concept and its appropriateness for improving public health practice.
Identify the key characteristics positive deviants employ to enable them to seek professional mental health services successfully
Keyword(s): Mental Health Services, Migrant Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been working on examining immigrant Health and promoting immigrants' health services as part of my dissertation.
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.
