(PS7-C53) Mental Health Service Utilization Among Trauma Exposed Central American Migrant Youth

The United States has seen an influx of Central American migrant youth and families in recent years (USCBP, 2019). Research suggests migrant youth are at increased risk for developing mental health problems from enduring the migration process (Caballero et al., 2017; Wood, 2018). Specifically, migrant youth are at particular risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms as a result of trauma exposure before and during migration to the U.S. (Valdez et al., 2015). In response, there have been efforts to increase culturally tailored mental health service access and effectiveness for migrant youth and families (Ellis et al., 2020). However, the extent to which such services are utilized are unclear. Using data from a larger study seeking to identify psychopathological risk factors in Central American migrant youth, self-reports of mental health service utilization history (e.g., having previously seen a mental health professional or having been prescribed psychotropic medication) were assessed and compared to reported trauma exposure and symptoms. This sample was composed of 125 migrant youth recruited from a high school in southeast Texas. Using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM-5 (CPSS-5; Foa et al., 2001), youth reported enduring an average of 4 (SD = 3.05) traumatic events in their lifetime and experiencing mild PTSD symptoms (M = 15.04, SD = 10.98), with roughly 53% of the sample meeting the CPSS clinical cutoff (Foa et al., 2001). However, less than 25% of youth and less than 1% of caregivers reported having previously seen a mental health professional. Further, less than 4% of youth and 0% of caregivers reported having been prescribed psychotropic medication. Despite high rates of trauma exposure and respective trauma symptoms, migrant youth and their families demonstrated low rates of mental health service utilization. These findings are consistent with reports that Hispanic youth in the U.S. receive mental health services less often than their White counterparts (Merikangas et al., 2011). Moreover, findings suggest additional effort is needed to expand mental healthcare access to migrant youth and families in addition to investigating cultural factors that may influence perception of mental health services in further addressing the mental health needs of migrant youth.