Date of Graduation

5-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Psychology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Bridges, Ana J.

Committee Member

Ham, Lindsay S.

Second Committee Member

Levine, William H.

Keywords

Barriers; Depression; Latinx; Mental Health; Treatment Access

Abstract

Latinx and non-Latinx White adults 18 years of age and older experience depression at proportional rates. However, Latinxs seek specialized care for depression at lower rates than non-Latinx Whites, suggesting these groups experience barriers in accessing care differently. This study sought to test the theoretical steps of help-seeking as informed by the Gaining Access and Treatment Equity model (GATE model; Bridges, 2018). According to the GATE model, successful help-seeking means navigating a series of barriers: sequentially, these are perceived need, attitudinal barriers, and structural barriers. Participants (N = 987) were either Latinx (n = 437) or non-Latinx White (n = 550) undergraduate students enrolled in general psychology courses. Participants were randomized to read one of eight vignettes describing a woman with depression and were asked to rate how likely the character would be to seek mental health services. The character’s perceived need for services, attitudinal barriers, and structural barriers for seeking specialized care were manipulated. High perceived need versus low perceived need was hypothesized to better predict help-seeking. Low attitudinal versus high attitudinal barriers was hypothesized to better predict help-seeking. Low external versus high attitudinal barriers was hypothesized to better predict help-seeking. Hypotheses were tested using independent sample t-tests. The three hypotheses were supported. Logistic regression revealed structural barriers served as the strongest predictor for likelihood of seeking care. Structural barriers moderated the relationship between perceived need and perceived likelihood of seeking care, such that help-seeking was more likely to occur when structural barriers were low and perceived need was high. The same moderation effect was true for attitudinal barriers, such that perceived help-seeking was more likely in the context of low attitudinal barriers when perceived need was high. Participants’ ethnicity did not moderate the relationship between perceived need and perceived likelihood of seeking care. This work highlights the importance of addressing structural barriers to reduce disparities in accessing treatment for depression.

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