Service utilization among Latino families with a child with ADHD symptoms: education, health insurance, acculturation, and trust in medical professionals

Abstract

There is a dearth of research examining ADHD among Latino youth in the United States. While Latino children are demonstrating a need for mental health services to address their ADHD concerns, services have historically been underutilized, resulting in unmet need among Latino youth. This study examined the ability of key theorized factors – parent education, medical insurance status and acculturation, and trust towards medical professionals – to predict mental health service utilization among Latino families with a child with ADHD symptoms. Additionally, some relationships between these factors were investigated. The sample included 41 Latino parents of children who received an evaluation for ADHD through the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Parents participated in two CHOP studies. Data previously collected for these studies were analyzed for the current study. Spearman correlations were employed to analyze the relationships between the independent variables and mental health service use, and to examine the associations among independent variables. It was impossible to interpret health insurance status results due to the severely restricted range of variability within this variable; type of health insurance was analyzed and interpreted instead. Results indicated that there were no significant relationships between trust in medical professionals and service use. Acculturation was positively correlated with whether services were ever used, and whether any school-based services were ever used. Type of health insurance was negatively correlated with the number of school services used in the past year, and whether services were ever used. Parent education was negatively correlated with whether school services were ever used. Child’s age was positively correlated with the use of outpatient services within the past year. Additional results revealed: (a) an inverse relationship between parent acculturation and level of trust in medical professionals, (b) no relationship between parent education and health insurance, (c) a negative correlation between parent education and acculturation, and (d) no significant relationship between parent education and trust. Findings suggest that type of health insurance, parent education, and acculturation may function as either barriers or facilitators within the help-seeking pathway. Several conclusions regarding the relationships among variables, study limitations, and clinical and research implications, are discussed.%%%%Ph.D., Clinical Psychology – Drexel University, 2006