Culturally competent mental health services for Hispanic/Latino immigrants
Institution: | California State University – Sacramento |
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Department: | Social Work |
Degree: | MSW |
Year: | 2015 |
Keywords: | Spanish; Acculturation; Mental health services; Assimilation; Barriers to social services |
Record ID: | 2063318 |
Full text PDF: | http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/138466 |
This study examined the perspectives of service professionals on factors that prevent efficient utilization of mental health services, and the availability and adequacy of culturally competent services to Latino/Hispanic population in the Sacramento region. This exploratory study utilized questionnaires to collect data pertaining to study questions from a non- probability sample of respondents. Study findings indicated that the knowledge on the utilization of resources services available to the Latino community was positively correlated with the age of the respondent; r (21) = .37 without statistical significance at p >.05. Clergy members who participated in the study had more knowledge and non-social workers in general had more knowledge of the barriers to service utilization. The findings evidence the need for culturally competent, comprehensive community-based mental health services to the Latino population. General barriers to service utilization include the slow pace of acculturation into dominant culture; poor knowledge of services available to them, language barriers and the lack of clinicians??? understanding of Hispanic/Latino culture. Recommendations include the need for targeted program delivery that integrate the wellness model and the cultural competencies of the social work profession; and the need for further study with large samples of clients as respondents.