Racialized Immigrants' Encounters of Barriers and Facilitators in Seeking Mental Healthcare Services in Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Racialized immigrants have low rates of accessing mental healthcare services. However, there are notable differences among immigrant groups (e.g., refugees, international students, dependants). The aim of this study is to understand racialized immigrants' experiences of accessing mental healthcare services at both systemic and individual levels. Through a qualitative descriptive methodology, interviews were conducted in English with 16 racialized immigrants to understand barriers and facilitators encountered. Additionally, focusing on how cultural and social conceptualizations ideas shape mental healthcare services. Interviews were analyzed through Braun & Clarke's six-step method to reflexive thematic analysis in identifying factors. Three major themes were identified: structural constraints, individual influences, and appraisal of services. With the first, racialized immigrants signaled to issues related to the systemic level that included affordability, wait times, and trust in the system. Individual influences highlighted factors of mental health literacy, social supports, stigma, severity of the issues, and awareness of services themselves. Lastly, extending on the previous theme, appraisal of services was reflective of how social and cultural ideals shaped attitudes towards the appropriateness of the provider or services themselves. The findings from this paper emphasize that racialized immigrants are not homogenous in their experiences and attitudes towards mental healthcare services. While there were similarities across different groups in the individual and systemic factors identified, there were key distinctions driven by appraisal of services themselves and if they were congruent based on their needs, more specifically, what was contributing to their negative mental health status.