Mexican-American Perceptions of the Causes of Mental Distress

Abstract

This article reports South Texas Rio Grande Valley Mexican-American perspectives on the causes of mental distress. Very little has been published about Mexican-American perspectives on this topic. Mexican Americans as a population exhibit strong mental health care disparities in the United States; therefore their perspective on the causes of mental distress is an important area to investigate. An exploratory descriptive design with 82 interviews resulted in three overarching themes: Individual Causes of Mental Distress; External Aspects; and How Mental Distress Develops. The results of this study have implications for mental health practitioners regarding family problems, experiences of loss, and money problems of clients, as well as for employers regarding stress experienced by employees at work. They also highlight the importance of using a collaborative interdisciplinary approach in treating Mexican-American clients and supporting clients in their perceptions while providing clients with important skills such as problem solving, self-awareness, and coping. Mexican Americans living in different geographical locations within the United States may have different perceptions of causes of mental distress. This is important for mental health professionals to understand when working with Mexican-American clients.