Mental Health Service Utilization and Drinking Outcomes in a National Population Sample: Are There Racial/Ethnic Differences?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Racial and ethnic disparities in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems have been well-documented. Less information is available about possible disparities in outcomes related to mental health services utilization. The differential effect of mental health services use by race on drinking outcomes was examined. Wave 2 of a national population sample of employed adults who reported having at least one alcoholic drink in the past year (N = 1,058) encompassed measures of the prevalence of mental health services use in response to stress, and alcohol-related outcomes. Non-white participants who reported using any mental health services, four or more mental health visits in the past year, and eight or more mental health visits in the past year reported lower rates of problematic drinking behaviors, including frequency of drinking to intoxication, heavy episodic drinking, and modified Brief MAST scores, than whites who reported similar use of mental health services.