Examining Global Wellness, Anxiety Severity, and Depression Severity Among Black and Latinx Adults: Implications for Counseling

Abstract

The effectiveness of the Global Wellness scale of the Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory, measuring combined mental and physical health, is well documented in the literature among samples of primarily White clients. However, the global wellness literature is lacking research among ethnic minority populations who tend to face healthcare inequities. For example, Black and Latinx adults in the United States face inequities in the quality and accessibility of mental and physical healthcare services, including unique risks for anxiety and depression. In this study, a national random sample (N = 4,009) was recruited (stratified by age, gender, and geographic region of the United States) of Latinx and Black adults to examine the association of anxiety severity and depression severity with global wellness as well as demographic differences in global wellness. Anxiety and depression emerged as significant negative predictors of global wellness, and results revealed a number of demographic differences in global wellness. Implications for counseling practice and how mental health counselors can reduce healthcare disparities are discussed.