LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES REGARDING MINORITIES

This study focuses on analyzing if the level of engagement when receiving mental health services affects how many mental health providers an individual has. Although mental health impacts everyone, minorities encounter barriers such as language, transportation, and residential segregation. Obstacles such as these discourage individuals in regards to pursuing mental health services. Minorities make up a significant amount of the U.S. population: however, they are underrepresented in the mental health field. The challenges they encounter need to be addressed to provide efficient services. This study includes male and female participants over the age of 18 in San Bernardino County. The participants must have had attempted to get mental health services within the last year to qualify for this study. This study used an ecological perspective to understand further the barriers that minorities encountered with a quantitative methodology. The researcher created a questionnaire to address the engagement that individuals felt and the number of mental health providers they have encountered. The results were analyzed through a correlation test. The data showed a relationship between the level of engagement that individuals reported and the number of mental health providers they have had. This study\u27s social work implications are that minorities need further education regarding mental health services and how to obtain them