Check out this new Research Snapshot!
Ethnic differences in mental health status and service utilization.
Here is a sneak peak:
What you need to know
Approximately 18% to 36% of the population worldwide experiences mental illness. Research from the United States has shown disparities between white individuals and ethnic minority individuals in their access to appropriate mental health and addictions services. Although existing literature has indicated that unmet mental health care needs are an ongoing problem in Ontario, Canada, there remains limited evidence of how unmet care needs vary across ethnic minority groups in the province. In multicultural jurisdictions like Ontario, understanding ethnic differences in mental health status, experiences and service use provides an opportunity to improve mental health services across the province.
What is this research about?
The researchers highlight how mental health status and experiences vary across ethnic groups living in Ontario, Canada. They identified three key components to understanding the relationship between mental health and care needs for ethnic groups. These components were (a) self-reported mental health status, (b) self-reported mental health service use and (c) unmet needs for care (i.e., lack of mental health service encounters among those with mental health care needs).
The research snapshot can be found in English here and French here.
If you're interested in resources like this one, consider joining the Understanding Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life Community of Interest (CoI)! The CoI is a dedicated space for service providers working with older adults to connect with other health service providers and share best practices and resources.