Mental Health Service Use and Perceived Unmet Needs for Mental Health Care in Asian Americans

Abstract

Using data from the Asian American Quality of Life (AAQoL, n = 2609) survey, logistic regression models of mental health service use and perceived unmet needs were estimated with background variables, ethnicity, and mental health status. More than 44% of the participants were categorized as having mental distress (Kessler 6 [K6] ≥ 6) and 6.1% as having serious mental illness (SMI, K6 ≥ 13). About 23% had used services (mental health specialist, general doctor, and/or religious leader) for their emotional concerns during the past year, and about 7% reported that there was a time that they needed mental health care but could not get it. In the multivariate analyses, the presence of mental distress and SMI increased the odds of using any service and having perceived unmet needs. Those who had used services exhibited higher odds of reporting unmet needs, calling concerns about the quality of services and user satisfaction.