Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
The Relationship Between Access to Mental Health Resources and Use of Preferred Effective Mental Health Treatment619 views
Author
Silverman, Alexandra, Psychology - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia0000-0002-8066-2308
Advisors
Teachman, Bethany, AS-Psychology, University of Virginia
Abstract
Objective: Certain marginalized groups do not have equal access to mental health resources. This study examined whether variables related to access to mental health resources (racial-ethnic group membership, education level, number of community-level treatment providers, and facilities) were associated with current mental health treatment use; and, whether they moderated the likelihood that individuals would receive their preferred effective treatment. Methods: In a preregistered (osf.io/z28wr) online study, 5,626 individuals completed a mental health history form and measures of implicit and explicit beliefs about the effectiveness of therapy vs. medication. Results: Only individuals with higher education levels were more likely to report current use of treatment. Individuals who were Black/Latinx or who lived in a community with fewer treatment providers sometimes had a lower probability of accessing preferred effective treatment, though results varied across implicit and explicit measures. Conclusions: Findings support initiatives to increase access to mental health resources among marginalized groups.
Silverman, Alexandra. The Relationship Between Access to Mental Health Resources and Use of Preferred Effective Mental Health Treatment. University of Virginia, Psychology - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, MA (Master of Arts), 2020-10-15, https://doi.org/10.18130/v3-yhrv-pd78.
