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Why Culture and Context Matters: Examining Differences in Mental Health Stigma and Social Distance Between Latino Individuals in the United States and Mexico

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Abstract

This study examines the influence of cultural context on social distance and perceptions of stigma towards mental health conditions among Latino populations in Houston, TX, USA and Mexico City, Mexico. We employed a community-based experimental vignette survey to assess perceptions towards individuals experiencing symptoms of alcohol misuse, depression, and psychosis. Participants (n = 513) from Houston and Mexico City were asked about their willingness to accept community members experiencing mental health symptoms in various social roles, their perceptions of stigma related to these symptoms, anticipated danger, possible positive outcomes, and the community member’s ability to change. Findings demonstrate significant differences in stigma perceptions between Latino respondents in the US and in Mexico. Houston participants reported lower public stigma and perceived dangerousness of someone with mental health concerns compared to respondents in Mexico City. Furthermore, the cultural context may influence the association between various dimensions of stigma, with some inverse relationships occurring based on location of data collection. Findings illuminate the complex interplay between cultural context, mental health symptoms, and stigma, and underscores the need for culturally nuanced interventions to reduce mental health stigma and promote service utilization in Latino communities.

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Acknowledgements

None.

Funding

This project was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Houston Drug Abuse Research Development Program-II (R24 DA019798-09) and with the support of the Center for Mexican American Studies, University of Houston.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New Hampshire, 55 College Rd, 03824, Durham, NH, USA

    Kathryne B. Brewer, Ryan Gibson & Nikhil Tomar

  2. University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work, Arlington, TX, USA

    Micki Washburn

  3. Massachusetts General Hospital Disparities Research Unit, Boston, MA, USA

    Natalia Giraldo-Santiago

  4. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinberg, TX, USA

    Luis R. Hostos-Torres

  5. University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, Houston, TX, USA

    Robin E. Gearing

Authors
  1. Kathryne B. Brewer
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  2. Ryan Gibson
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  3. Nikhil Tomar
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  4. Micki Washburn
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  5. Natalia Giraldo-Santiago
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  6. Luis R. Hostos-Torres
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  7. Robin E. Gearing
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Contributions

KBB—study conceptualization, selection of study measures, creation of randomization scheme and vignette development, data analysis, manuscript writing and editing; RG—study conceptualization, selection of study measures, data analysis, manuscript writing and editing; NT—study conceptualization, literature review, manuscript writing and editing; MW—data entry, data analysis, manuscript editing; NGS—literature review, manuscript writing and editing; LRTH—selection and translation of study measures, coordination of participant recruitment sites, manuscript editing; REG—Study conceptualization, selection of study measures, creation of randomization scheme and vignette development, coordination of participant recruitment sites, oversight of study research assistants and data entry, manuscript writing and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathryne B. Brewer.

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Competing Interests

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest or competing interests to disclose.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Houston, Approval # STUDY00000130, entitled, Engaging Latinos in Mental Health Services.

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. The IRB at the University of Houston granted a waiver of documented written consent for this project. Participants gave verbal consent to participate.

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Brewer, K.B., Gibson, R., Tomar, N. et al. Why Culture and Context Matters: Examining Differences in Mental Health Stigma and Social Distance Between Latino Individuals in the United States and Mexico. J Immigrant Minority Health 26, 278–286 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-023-01550-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-023-01550-w

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