Gender, Race-Ethnicity, and Psychosocial Barriers to Mental Health Care: An Examination of Perceptions and Attitudes among Adults Reporting Unmet Need

Abstract

Though researchers have described psychosocial barriers to mental health care-seeking, limited research has examined ways in which gender and race-ethnicity are associated with individuals' perceptions and attitudes. This study investigates correlates of psychosocial barriers to mental health care in a population of adults reporting unmet need for mental health care, focusing on gender and race-ethnicity. Data are from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Multivariate analyses show that non-Latino white male status is positively associated with stigma avoidance and mistrust/fear of the mental health care system. Persons of lower income or educational status are less likely to report negative attitudes towards care. Findings imply a need to reconsider the roles of gender, race-ethnicity, and socioeconomic status within investigations of psychosocial barriers to care. Future research should examine the relationships among social status, help-seeking behaviors, and attitudes toward mental health care.