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1 Literature Review on Latino Access to and Utilization of Mental Health Services in the United States First and Last Name Here Department of XXX, College Here The class number here: Name of Class here Instructor name here Assignment Due Date

2 Mental health issues have been on the rise in the United States of America and the world at large, especially following the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath economic downturn. The issue has led to deliberate research, study, and policy formulation by relevant stakeholders following its rather high epidemiology. According to the CDC, more than 20% of the US live with mental health issues while the same proportion of youths have or have had a debilitating mental illness in their lifetime. Moreover, the significance of mental health has been further emphasized by the UNSDG's third goal, which stipulates that Good health and well-being (Merikangas et al., 2010; National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2023). The UN acknowledged the burden of the disease, thus marking it as a priority for overall global development following its direct impact on physical health, economic status, and social well-being (Vortruba & Thornicroft, 2016). As such, solving the mental health conundrum will serve as a basis for achieving communal well-being in the United States. Background Regardless of the United States being famed for its diverse cultures and ethnicities, the country is often marred by inherent downsides of multiculturalism. Evident disparities fostered by structural discrimination of minority groups affect various spheres of society including health. The Latino community being one of the largest growing minority groups is right in the middle of this tussle. The term Latino herein means persons originating from diverse Latin American and Caribbean backgrounds. The population is the second largest in the United States making up 19% of the total US population; a figure expected to rise further considering its 23% growth with it expected to comprise about 25 % of the population by 2050 (Bridges et al., 2012; Nadeem, 2023). As such, As the United States continues to witness this apparent growth in its Latino population, it is imperative to direct attention toward understanding the mental health

3 experiences of this diverse demographic. The demographic is characterized by unique factors that contribute to the existing mental health disparity either directly or indirectly. First, the historical context of immigration from neighboring countries like Mexico, acculturation, and racial discrimination further compound the complexity of their mental health experiences within the American sociocultural landscape. Therefore, the underlying factors make the access to and utilization of mental health services of Latinos garners considerable attention among various scholars. The terms access and utilization are used simultaneously in this literature review. They are the methodology that mentally ill individuals use to navigate the country's healthcare system to receive necessary care services and use them for their mental wellness. This navigation involves the affordability, availability, and proximity of mental health resources like hospitals, counselors, and therapists to receive optimal care. Moreover, access also entails the quality factor of the mental health specialty, thus, prompting a deeper analysis of cultural factors like socioeconomics that influence the quality of care accessed by Latinos ((Alegr A et al., 2002)). In ı́ contrast, utilization focuses on the actual use of the services accessed by the patient. As such, utilization is influenced by factors like individual Latin attitudes, the cultural acceptance of the services, and interventions aimed at alienating the existing barriers to optimal mental health care access and utilization. Generally, the Latino minority group uses mental health services and remains in treatment over a short period compared to the Whites regardless of having higher mental illness incidence (Bridges et al., 2012). Therefore, involved stakeholders should be aware of the mental health utilization factors among the Latino population when formulating appropriate mitigation measures. Moreover, understanding the access and utilization of these services is paramount in building up a credible literature analysis of prior research on the topic.

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4 The Rationale for Analyzing the Literature Sources The complexity, variability, urgency, and necessity of the issue among the Latino community have attracted numerous research from scholars. The scholars have thus brought forth unique and diverse perspectives following different motives and thought processes. For instance, according to Alegr A et al. (2002), certain researchers stipulate that Latinos often do not ı́ have enough access to mental health services and are underrepresented in mental health care facilities while other sources highlight that Latinos and non-Latinos both use mental health services at fairly the same rates. Having different conclusions shows the need to delve further into the topic to unearth new knowledge in the area. It also shows that prior research could have been marred by research bottlenecks like research biasness, response biasness, generalization, and variability of data. In addition, the Latino community has various subgroup variations, that most researchers overlook. Nevertheless, the diverging conclusions show that it is imperative to do a systemic and evaluative analysis of the existing literature to link the existing patterns, highlight the relationships of the sources, and identify existing literature gaps to base future research on. The underlying factors are the bedrock motivation for this literature review. Generally, the rationale for conducting the review is based on the growing Latino population, health disparities, and the sociological relevance of the topic. Research affirms the disparities that exist health-wise between Latinos and other populations, especially whites, thus, this review will help understand their causes, consequences, and appropriate interventions. Subsequently, as the Latin population continues to expand it becomes increasingly significant to address this mental health issue. Lastly, a comprehensive review of academic sources on the topic will inform policymakers, the community, patients, and health providers of the necessity to address the

5 differences in access and utilization of mental health services for a wholesome and pluralistic society. Moreover, the literature review will highlight notable gaps in knowledge that warrant further research on the same topic. While some gaps are identifiable forthrightly, it takes a deeper review to understand their outset, and how to tailor research to answer them (paraphrase). Moreover, the review will seek to identify sociological frameworks evident in literature as applied to diverse health social factors, including race, class, ethnicity, and immigration status. By adopting a sociological lens, the review moves beyond individual-level explanations and delves into the societal structures, cultural norms, and institutional practices that shape the mental health experiences of Latinos. This way, the review will discuss the mental health of the Latino community as a "whole person." Ultimately, the literature review will enhance knowledge on their access to and utilization of mental health services; thus, empowering stakeholders to implement measures that will ensure improved mental well-being of the community. Structure of the Literature Review Following the complexity of the topic, the literature review is structured systematically. First, it has an introduction that lays the background of the review and the rationale for conducting the analysis. The introduction shows the relevance, necessity, and urgency of reviewing existing literature on the topic. Subsequently, the article highlights the methodology used to choose the sources in the literature review. This methodology highlights both the database and the descriptors of the academic literature. Moreover, it provides the rationale for selecting the sources, the procedures used to analyze the sources, and the ultimate criteria used to select the sources. Next, the discussion section extensively offers links between works of

6 literature on the topic while also making appropriate inferences. The discussion section is inappropriate subheadings according to common relationships of the sources regarding the topic (paraphrase). The conclusion section wraps up the whole text.

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7 Methodology Finding credible sources is usually an arduous task because of a wide array of academic and invalidated sources. However, following the relevance of the topic in society it had numerous sources online. Thus, as the researcher I had to employ appropriate criteria in identifying the resources, selecting them, analyzing them, and ensuring standard methodology criteria. As such, throughout the methodology the main objective of the research, to examine and synthesize existing research on Latino access to and utilization of mental health services in the United States, was central to each source identification and selection. Search Strategy To identify relevant studies, the researcher employed a comprehensive search strategy. Initially, Google Scholar was used as the background search engine to get an initial sample of sources to the utilized. In this case, the researcher used non-specific search terms for Google Scholar to get academic sources that were peer-reviewed. These terms included Latino mental health . Google Scholar is best used for initial search since it shows other articles related to a specific article, how many times an article has been cited, and by whom. This way, the search engine helped the researcher to get as many articles as possible. Subsequently, the researcher employed other credible electronic databases simultaneously, including ScienceDirect, Thomson Gale PubMed, ProQuest, PsycINFO, Science.gov, and Web of Science, together with Google Scholar for a comprehensive search. These databases have advanced search functions that enable the researcher to refine their searches further before selecting the sources. Moreover, the search used a specific combination of keywords and controlled vocabulary terms together with Boolean operators where appropriate. The key search terms included mental

8 health access, mental health utilization, Latino mental health disparities, Hispanic mental health, Hispanic/ Latino health access, Latino health service utilization, and Health disparity interventions. Each of the search terms was selected due to its relevance to the study and its likelihood to give as many sources as possible. Moreover, the researcher used a thesaurus to use synonymous words interchangeably in the search. Additionally, the inherent advantage of Google Scholar in giving related sources enables the application of the snowball technique to identify more sources. Furthermore, the search was not limited to a specific language however all the articles found were primarily in English. Study Selection The section on the sources followed a two-step process that involved first the removal of duplicates, and then a screening of the titles and abstracts. The researcher removed the duplicates individually by skimming through the articles individually. Next, followed the screening of the titles and abstracts of each article that was selected for relevance in the first phase. Primarily, the screening aimed to remain with studies that only focused on Latino communities in the United States. They also focused on the disparity in the access to and use of mental health treatments among the Latino community in the country. Eventually, the researcher removed studies that did not fit these requirements. Moreover, the relevance and credibility of the sources were highly considered by the researcher when selecting the sources. Essentially the author employed the CRAAP test for each source to determine its currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. The researcher answered the following questions for each source: 1. How recent is the source? 2. Is the article relevant to the research topic? 3. Does a reputable publisher publish the source? 4. Who wrote the source and are they considered credible? 6. Are accurate citations backing the source? 7. What was the

9 essence of the research behind this source? This selection criterion was crucial in picking the required articles. However, an article could be selected if it failed one of the questions but it was directly relevant to the research topic. Data Extraction and analysis Information from the chosen studies was gathered using a standardized form with a focus on specific data points. These informational items included the sample size, research characteristics, demographics, major findings, and specifics of the interventions that the sources fronted. As a result, the researcher assessed the sources' caliber, data-gathering techniques, population representation, and potential bias sources. Next, a narrative synthesis technique was used in the data synthesis because the included studies showed a lot of variation in their research designs and outcome measures. As a result, the review highlighted similar themes and patterns and summarized significant access and utilization-related results. It aims to give a thorough assessment of the socio-cultural, economic, structural, and effective interventions and strategies that affect access and use. Ultimately, a source that passed through the highlighted criteria was only used if it fitted in apparent patterns that had emanated from the analysis. Nevertheless, the literature review had little ethical considerations since it did not involve respondents and there were no conflicts of interest. It also follows the PRISMA reporting guidelines to actualize transparency in reporting.

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