Document Type
Poster
Original Publication Date
2020
Journal/Book/Conference Title
American Psychiatric Association
Date of Submission
October 2020
Abstract
The Latinx population has become the largest minority group in the United States (U.S.).1 Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Latinxs are younger and have less formal education. This community is also confronted with additional stressors (i.e., more likely to have problems of unemployment, poverty, lack of insurance, and language barriers).2 Although Latinxs are just as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to suffer from a mental illness, they are more likely to go untreated.3 Specifically, Latinxs experiences with psychopharmacological treatments is not well understood but can be studied through the multipath model (MPM).4 The MPM offers a way to view the variety and complexity of contributors to mental disorders. The etiology can be understood through four domains: Biological, Psychological, Social, and Sociocultural.4 To date, little attention has been given to specific domains of the MPM that contribute to psychopharmacological utilization among Latinxs. This qualitative study therefore explores the bio-psycho-social-cultural domains and its role on psychopharmacological utilization among 20 Latinx adults (50% Spanish speakers, 80% immigrant). Using thematic analysis, results indicated Latinxs underutilize psychopharmacology within three of the four domains of the MPM. Psychological factors included perceived negative outcomes, such as illness or dependency, and even fear of deportation. The role of family was the strongest social factor for underutilization. Sociocultural factors for underutilization included religion and religious fatalism. Perceived acceptance of receiving mental health treatment in the U.S. as compared to native Latin American countries was a sociocultural factor for utilizing psychopharmacology. Interestingly, participants did not highlight any biological factor as means for psychopharmacological treatments. Overall, providers can benefit from the multipath model (MPM) when working with the Latinx community in order to better understand preconceptions that may impact psychopharmacological utilization. Additional research and practical implications are therefore discussed when working with the Latinx community. References: 1. Garcia, J. A., Sanchez, G. R., Sanchez-Youngman, S., Vargas, E. D., & Ybarra, V. D. (2015). Race as lived experience: The impact of multi-dimensional measures of race/ethnicity on the self-reported health status of Latinos. Du Bois review: Social Science Research on Race, 12(2), 349-373. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X15000120 2. McDonald, J. A., & Paulozzi, L. J. (2019). Parsing the paradox: Hispanic mortality in the US by detailed cause of death. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 21(2), 237-245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0737-2 3. Moreno, O., Ortiz, M., Fuentes, L., Garcia, D., & Leon-Perez, G. (2020). Vaya con Dios: The influence of religious constructs on stressors around the migration process and U.S. lived experiences among Latina/o immigrants. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,17(11), 3961. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17113961 4. Neuendorf, K.A. The Content Analysis Guidebook; SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2017. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781071802878
5. Rush, S.C. (2014) Transana: Qualitative analysis software for video and audio. Educational Psychology 30, 213–214. 6. Sue, D., Sue, D. W., Sue, S., & Sue, D. M. (2015). Understanding abnormal behavior. Cengage Learning.. doi: 01/01/2016 7. U.S. Census Bureau (2015). Quick facts: United States population estimates. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218. 8. Moreno, O., Nelson, T. & Cardemil. E. (2017) Religiosity and attitude toward professional mental health services: analysing religious coping as a mediator among Mexican origin Latinas/os in the southwest United States, Journal of Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 20(7), 626-637. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2017.1372735 9. Moreno, O., & Cardemil, E. (2018). Religiosity and well-being among Mexican-born and U.S.-born Mexicans: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 6(3). 235-247. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000099
Is Part Of
VCU Psychology Publications