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Does childhood mental health service use predict subsequent mental health service use during Latino youth transition to young adulthood? Evidence from the Boricua Youth Study

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Abstract

Purpose

Studies document the substantial underutilization of mental health services by US Latinos in young adulthood. Rates of service use are higher in childhood, raising questions about whether mental health service use during childhood may facilitate access to services later in life. This article examines the extent to which utilization of mental health services in childhood is predictive of utilization in young adulthood among US Latinos.

Methods

Data come from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of Puerto Rican youth at two sites (South Bronx, New York, and the standard metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico). Data were collected in three waves during childhood (ages 5–13; surveyed 1 year apart), with an approximately 11-year follow-up in young adulthood (ages 16–29). In childhood, parents reported on youth mental health service use (Waves 1–3). In Wave 4, as youth transitioned to young adults (N = 2004), they reported on their past year mental health service use.

Results

Whereas 30.2% of parents reported their child received mental health services, only 3.5% of young adults reported mental health service use in the past year. After controlling for young adult disorders and their severity, childhood disorders were associated with increased likelihood of mental health service use in young adulthood. Childhood mental health service use was also associated with young adult service use; however, this association attenuated when controlling for childhood disorders.

Conclusion

Findings suggest the importance of specifically considering childhood disorders in understanding mechanisms for improving access to mental health services among Latino young adults.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the research staff who prepared materials and collected data, and above all, the participants who generously gave their time to the study.

Funding

The Boricua Youth Study has been supported by the National Institutes of Health: MH098374 (Alegria, Canino, Duarte), MH56401 (Bird), DA033172 (Duarte), and AA020191 (Duarte). This manuscript is also supported by K23MH112841 (Alvarez). The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University, 2 Silber Way, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Jennifer Greif Green, Rachel Oblath & Gerrit DeYoung

  2. Disparities Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Kiara Álvarez, Ye Wang & Margarita Alegría

  3. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Kiara Álvarez

  4. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Hector Bird & Cristiane S. Duarte

  5. Ponce Medical School, Ponce, PR, USA

    Hector Bird

  6. Behavioral Sciences Research Institute, University of Puerto Rico Medical School, San Juan, PR, USA

    Glorisa Canino

  7. Department of Medicine and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Margarita Alegría

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  1. Jennifer Greif Green
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  2. Rachel Oblath
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer Greif Green.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethical approval

This study has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Green, J.G., Oblath, R., DeYoung, G. et al. Does childhood mental health service use predict subsequent mental health service use during Latino youth transition to young adulthood? Evidence from the Boricua Youth Study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 55, 1439–1448 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01859-z

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