Mental Health and Ethnic Minority Children Mental Health and Ethnic Minority Children and Youth: Need, Access, Qualityand Youth: Need, Access, Quality

From: “Mental Health: Culture, Race, and EthnicityFrom: “Mental Health: Culture, Race, and EthnicityA Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the

Surgeon General”Surgeon General”

Lonnie R. SnowdenLonnie R. SnowdenProfessor of Social WelfareProfessor of Social Welfare

Director, Center for Mental Health Services ResearchDirector, Center for Mental Health Services Research

Demographics and Areas of Special NeedDemographics and Areas of Special Need

Native Americans: .5% of California population; 42% rural; high rates of substance abuse, especially alcohol abuse.

Latinos: 32% of California population; 38% non U.S. born; high rates of depressive symptoms and substance abuse.

Asian Americans: 12% of California population; 60% non U.S. born; high rates of anxiety symptoms among some immigrant youth and PTSD among refugees.

African Americans: 7% of California population; heavily urban; symptoms of conduct disorder and depression, substance abuse.

Family and CommunityFamily and Community

Poverty: Family and community, income and assets

High and low social capital: Ethnic enclaves and poverty communities

Family, friends, and religious figures as source of help

Functional status: family, peers, schools, police

Promoting AccessPromoting Access

Unmet need and burden

Insurance: Medical and private coverage; the problem of differential response

High need populations: child welfare, juvenile justice, social service recipients, the homeless

Improving QualityImproving Quality

Belief systems, idiom of distress

Practice guidelines and issues of translation

The need to improve functional status

Therapeutic alliance and trust

Large gains from small investments: toward a life course, societal perspective