Jennifer Abe-Kim ^1*, David T. Takeuchi ², Seunghye Hong ², Nolan Zane ³, Stanley Sue ³, Michael S. Spencer ⁴, Hoa Appel ², Ethel Nicdao ², Margarita Alegría ⁵

¹ Loyola Marymount University
² University of Washington
³ University of California at Davis
⁴ University of Michigan
⁵ Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard University

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jabekim{at}lmu.edu.

	Abstract

Objectives. We examined rates of mental health-related service use (i.e., any, general medical, and specialty mental health services) as well as subjective satisfaction with and perceived helpfulness of care in a national sample of Asian Americans, with a particular focus on immigration-related factors. Methods. Data were derived from the National Latino and Asian American Study (2002-2003). Results. About 8.6% of the total sample (n=2095) sought any mental health- related services; 34.1% of individuals who had a probable diagnosis sought any services. Rates of mental health-related service use, subjective satisfaction, and perceived helpfulness varied by birthplace and by generation. US-born Asian Americans demonstrated higher rates of service use than did their immigrant counterparts. Third-generation or later individuals who had a probable diagnosis had high (62.6%) rates of service use in the previous 12 months. Conclusions. Asian Americans demonstrated lower rates of any type of mental health-related service use than did the general population, although there are important exceptions to this pattern according to nativity status and generation status. Our results underscore the importance of immigration-related factors in understanding service use among Asian Americans.

Key Words: Health Care Facilities/Services, Health Service Delivery, Immigration, Asians, Race/Ethnicity