1.56 Investigating Ethnic Disparities in Youth Mental Health Diagnoses Within a Large Canadian Community-Based Sample

Abstract

Ethnic disparities are apparent in the field of mental health and warrant increased scientific attention. Youth’s ethnic identity may contribute to their exposure to social risk factors for mental illness, exposure to protective factors for mental illness, and access to mental health assessment and care. Studies examining ethnic disparities in rates of mental health diagnoses rarely account for differences in underlying trait levels between ethnic groups, which may influence the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis.