Background: In 2015, 222,000 Ethiopian immigrants resided in the U.S., representing the second largest African immigrant group in the country. The unique stressors associated with migration increases the vulnerability of female migrants to a host of psychological illnesses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the patterns and factors impacting mental health service utilization among female Ethiopian immigrants and refugees in the U.S.

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was developed to collect data from 115 female Ethiopian immigrants and refugees in the U.S. from February 2018 to March 2018. A logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of a number of factors on the likelihood that respondents would report that they sought mental health services from healthcare professionals.

Results: Approximately 9.6% of participants sought mental health services from healthcare professionals; while 20.9% utilized non-healthcare professionals for mental health problems. A mental health need was identified, as 24.5% of participants experienced depressive symptoms. The regression model containing predictors of mental health service use was statistically significant, c² (6, N = 115) = 24.29, p < 0.001. Employment (full-time or part-time) was the only predictor that made a unique statistically significant contribution to the model (b = -2.748, p = 0.034, OR = 0.064).

Conclusion: The findings contribute to the limited knowledge of immigrant use of mental health services in the U.S. and suggests a need for the development of culturally appropriate and gender-specific interventions to increase mental health service use among this population.