Harvard Researchers at Cambridge Health Alliance Identify Key Factors in Psychiatric Disorders Across Latino Subgroups

“Following is a research alert from Cambridge Health Alliance. A new study examines the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among Latinos in the U.S.

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Study Title: Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Across Latino Subgroups in the United States.

Objectives: The authors examined the prevalence of depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders among Latinos residing in the United States.

Methods: The authors used data from the National Latino and Asian American Study www.multiculturalmentalhealth.org/nlaas.asp, a national epidemiological household survey of Latinos. They calculated weighted prevalence rates of lifetime and past-year psychiatric disorders across different sociodemographic, ethnic, and immigration groups.

Results: Lifetime psychiatric disorder prevalence estimates were 28.1 percent for men and 30.2 percent for women. Puerto Ricans had the highest overall prevalence rate among the Latino ethnic groups assessed. Increased rates of psychiatric disorders were observed among U.S.-born, English-language-proficient, and third-generation Latinos.

Conclusions: The results provide important information about potential correlates of psychiatric problems among Latinos that can inform clinical practice and guide program development. Stressors associated with cultural transmutation may exert particular pressure on Latino men. Continued attention to environmental influences, especially among third-generation Latinos, is an important area for substance abuse program development.

Authors: Margarita Alegrí, PhD, Director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research at Cambridge Health Alliance and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Norah Mulvaney-Day, PhD, Associate Director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research at Cambridge Health Alliance and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Maria Torres, MA, Project Manager for the National Latino and Asian American Study; Antonio Polo, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology at DePaul University; Zhun Cao, PhD, Associate Director for Methodological Affairs at the Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research at Cambridge Health Alliance and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; and Glorisa Canino, PhD, Director of the Behavioral Sciences Research Institute at the University of Puerto Rico.

Journal: American Journal of Public Health 2007 Vol 97 No. 1: 68-75 Website: www.ajph.org.

Funding: The project was supported by a National Institute of Health Research Grant funded by the National Institute of Mental Health as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Mental Health Services and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. This publication was also made possible by a grant from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

The Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research, led by Dr. Margarita Alegrí, is based at Cambridge Health Alliance CHA and collaborates with outside institutions such as Harvard Medical School and the Recinto de Ciencias Medicas at the University of Puerto Rico UPR. The mission is to generate innovative mental health services research that impacts policy, practice, and service delivery for multicultural populations. The Center is comprised of an interdisciplinary group of psychologists, social policy analysts, health economists, psychiatrists, data analysts, sociologists, and other professionals that assist in the research and analysis of Center projects. There are currently three large projects operating at the Center: the National Latino and Asian American Study NLAAS; the joint CHA/UPR project Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities and Training EXPORT; and the Advanced Center for Mental Health Disparities. Website: www.multiculturalmentalhealth.org.”

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