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The Prevalence of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Among Rural Latino Adults with Multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences in California

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A Correction to this article was published on 15 September 2018

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Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been found to increase health and mental health risks in adulthood. Previous ACE studies tend to have small samples of Latinos; however, as Latinos are projected to be the largest minority group in the United States, it is important to examine how ACEs are associated with self-reported mental distress and alcohol and/or substance abuse among Latino populations. An ACEs survey was conducted in a predominantly Latino town; the sample included 195 individuals (18 or older), and the majority (92%) identified as Latino. Logistic regression showed that respondents with three or more ACEs, compared to those with no ACEs, were three times more likely to report more days of mental distress and eight times more likely to have alcohol and/or substance abuse problems. Further studies are needed to understand the association between ACEs and behavioral health using culturally and linguistically competent mental health screening tools.

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Change history

  • 15 September 2018

    The original version of this article unfortunately published without acknowledgement section. The complete funding information is given below.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, Fresno State University, 5310 N. Campus Drive M/S PHS 102, Fresno, CA, 93740, USA

    Irán Barrera

  2. National Center for Children in Poverty, New York City, NY, USA

    Vrinda Sharma

  3. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, NY, USA

    Yumiko Aratani

Authors
  1. Irán Barrera
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  2. Vrinda Sharma
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  3. Yumiko Aratani
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Correspondence to Irán Barrera.

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Barrera, I., Sharma, V. & Aratani, Y. The Prevalence of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Among Rural Latino Adults with Multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences in California. J Immigrant Minority Health 21, 971–976 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0811-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0811-9

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