Abstract
A systematic rapid review process was used to examine existing literature on best practices for interdisciplinary mental and behavioral health services in primary care for a Hispanic population. Existing facilitators and barriers will be described.
Primary Author and Speaker: Kimberley Persons
The Hispanic population is second largest and fastest growing minority population in US. 16% of US Hispanic population report at least one mental illness; however, this is likely underreported (Colby & Ortman, 2014; Varela et al., 2007). Primary care has become the de facto mental health care system in the US (Unutzer et al., 2006), with significant barriers for Hispanic individuals including immigration status, stigma, and multigenerational healthcare trauma (Watson et al., 2013). The purpose of this project was to inform best practice for interdisciplinary mental and behavioral health services in primary care for a Hispanic population. A systematic rapid review process was used to examine existing literature. Six databases were searched with a combination of 16 search terms. Articles were excluded if they were more than 10 years old, non-research, or non-Hispanic and/or Latino populations. All articles were first screened by title and abstract, then underwent full text review using the Johns Hopkins Research Evidence Appraisal Tool (Dearholt & Dang, 2014). 1785 initial articles were found. 1381 articles were excluded in title and abstract review and 376 articles were excluded after full text review. 28 articles were included for thematic analysis. Barriers to seeking mental health care included cultural stigma against mental illness, self-reliance, perceived and real biases from providers, systemic barriers to access, and few studies on intervention outcomes. Facilitators were Spanish-speaking providers, geographical location, and collaborative care models. In order to provide best practice in mental health for a Hispanic/Latino population, occupational therapy practitioners should be part of the multidisciplinary mental health team. The occupational therapy profession has a role in advocating for policies or procedures that address systemic barriers to mental and behavioral health care for the underserved Hispanic/Latino populations.
Colby, S. L., & Ortman, J. M. (2014). Projections of the size and composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060: Current population reports. Census Bureau.
Dearholt, S. L., & Dang, D. (2014). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice model and guidelines (2nd ed). Sigma Theta Tau International.
Varela, R. E., Weems, C. F., Berman, S. L., Hensely, L., & Rodriguez de Bernal, M. C. (2007). Internalizing symptoms in Latinos: The role of anxiety sensitivity. Journal of Youth Adolescence 36, 429–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9168-4
Unützer, J., Tang, L., Oishi, S., Katon, W., Williams, J. W., Jr, Hunkeler, E., Hendrie, H., Lin, E. H., Levine, S., Grypma, L., Steffens, D. C., Fields, J., Langston, C., & IMPACT Investigators (2006). Reducing suicidal ideation in depressed older primary care patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54(10), 1550–1556. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00882.x