Keywords
Mental health; mental health services; undocumented immigrants; barriers; Latino; utilization
Abstract
A drastic shift in the socio-political climate revolving around immigration-related issues had garnered a new set of implications, one of them being mental healthcareaccessibility. When evaluating various aspects of the mental healthcare sector in the United States, it is crucial to examine minority populations, specifically undocumented Latino immigrants who are often overlooked in these matters and receive reduced access to mental healthcare services. Due to their unsteady undocumented status, many unintentional stressors arise from their legal status in the U.S. and thus can make this group more prone to developing mental health problems. A combination of structural determinants entailing social, economic, and political factors undoubtedly have immense impacts on these populations, preventing them from receiving adequate treatment. This thesis aims to examine the existing and distinctive social barriers that impede undocumented Latino immigrants from accessing orutilizing mental healthcare services in the United States. In this particular systematic review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA) were used to conduct an extensive analysis of previous studies regarding undocumented Latino immigrant adult's underutilization of mental healthcare services. An evaluation of peer-reviewed articles was performed by inputting keywords relevant to the topic into an array of databases, such as ProQuest (Sociology), PubMed, APA PsychInfo, and EBSCOhost. A filter for articles ranging from 2013 to 2023 was enforced to capture the most recent literature available. Overall, the results indicate that the barriers that impede on undocumented Latino immigrants' utilization entail distinctive social determinants includinglegal status, lack of insurance coverage, language proficiency, cultural beliefs, and stigma as the primary reoccurring themes.
Thesis Completion Year
2024
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Wang, Xiaochuan
College
College of Health Professions and Sciences
Department
Social Work
Thesis Discipline
Social Work
Language
English
Access Status
Campus Access
Length of Campus Access
5 years
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Alvarez, Katherine I., "Evaluating Barriers to Mental Health Care Utilization Among Undocumented Latino Immigrant Adults" (2024). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 14.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/14