Mental health care access and benefit
Only one in three Black or Latine adults receive the mental health care they need. This number falls to one in four among Asian adults. The causes of mental health care disparities are multifaceted, but the urgency remains the same.
Is WIC Enrollment Associated with Mental Health Care Engagement?: Data from 2007 - 2011 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey
One in ten US households experienced food insecurity—a public health issue likely worsened by the economic impact COVID-19. Designed to alleviate the financial and health burdens of food insecurity to pregnant/postpartum people who meet income and nutrition requirements, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Infants (WIC) provides nutritious food, healthy eating education, and healthcare referrals—and although prior research established an association of
food insecurity with mental health care use, but none have focused specifically on the potential impact of WIC enrollment. In this nationally representative adult sample and against our hypothesis, those enrolled in WIC were less likely to see a mental health provider in the last year, although this association was no longer significant after accounting for insurance status. Ameliorating the burden of food insecurity may potentially decrease the psychological distress of food insecurity.
Association of nativity with mental health treatment use among Asian Americans: Data from the National Health and Nutritional Survey (NHANES) 2011 - 2020
Asian Americans are the fastest growing US racial/ethnic group but engage with mental health services at lower rates compared to other groups. Barriers to their mental health treatment use, both psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic, are less understood. Foreign-born Asian American adults are less likely to engage in mental health treatment—but importantly, the numerical dearth of Asian Americans reporting antidepressant use in this nationally representative sample suggest antidepressant underutilization, regardless of nativity and despite antidepressant’s established efficacy for treating a range of mental health concerns.
Is WIC Enrollment Associated with Mental Health Care Engagement?: Data from 2007 - 2011 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey
One in ten US households experienced food insecurity—a public health issue likely worsened by the economic impact COVID-19. Designed to alleviate the financial and health burdens of food insecurity to pregnant/postpartum people who meet income and nutrition requirements, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Infants (WIC) provides nutritious food, healthy eating education, and healthcare referrals—and although prior research established an association of food insecurity with mental health care use, but none have focused specifically on the potential impact of WIC enrollment. In this nationally representative adult sample and against our hypothesis, those enrolled in WIC were less likely to see a mental health provider in the last year, although this association was no longer significant after accounting for insurance status. Ameliorating the burden of food insecurity may potentially decrease the psychological distress of food insecurity.
Association of nativity with mental health treatment use among Asian Americans: Data from the National Health and Nutritional Survey (NHANES) 2011 - 2020
Asian Americans are the fastest growing US racial/ethnic group but engage with mental health services at lower rates compared to other groups. Barriers to their mental health treatment use, both psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic, are less understood. Foreign-born Asian American adults are less likely to engage in mental health treatment—but importantly, the numerical dearth of Asian Americans reporting antidepressant use in this nationally representative sample suggest antidepressant underutilization, regardless of nativity and despite antidepressant’s established efficacy for treating a range of mental health concerns.
