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Understanding Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Youth Mental Health Services: Do Disparities Vary by Problem Type?

¹ University of California, Los Angeles
² San Diego State University, California
³ University of San Diego, California
⁴ University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ogudino{at}ucla.edu.

	Abstract

The authors examined racial/ethnic disparities in mental health service use based on problem type (internalizing/externalizing). A diverse sample of youth in contact with public sectors of care and their families provided reports of youth’s symptoms and functional impairment during an initial interview. Specialty and school-based mental health service use during the subsequent 2 years was assessed prospectively. Greater disparities in mental health service receipt were evident for internalizing problems, with non-Hispanic White youth more likely to receive services in response to internalizing symptoms than minority youth. Fewer disparities in rates of unmet need emerged for externalizing problems, but minority youth were more likely to have need for externalizing problems met and African American youth were particularly likely to receive services in response to such problems. Findings highlight the importance of considering problem type when examining racial disparities in mental health services and underscore concerns about the responsiveness of mental health services for minority youth with internalizing disorders.

First published on July 18, 2008, doi:10.1177/1063426608317710

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 2009;17:3.

A more recent version of this article appeared on March 1, 2009


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