(PS7-C67) Increasing Mental Health Service Engagement Among Latinx Adults: A Focus on Mental Health Literacy

Literature has consistently reported disparities in mental health service receipt, with even more pronounced service use gaps among ethnic minorities (NIMH, 2019). Specific to the Latinx population, literature notes that non-Latinx Whites are more likely to access services than Latinxs, despite both demonstrating comparable need for services. One factor to consider is mental health literacy (MHL), given reports of Latinxs demonstrating lower levels of MHL (Benuto et al., 2019). Therefore, it is important to increase MHL in efforts to encourage mental health service use among Latinxs (Vega et al., 2001).

The current study examined the efficacy of mental health videos in increasing MHL among Latinx adults. Four video formats were used: educational, roundtable, narrative, & a health-related control video. The research team created the narrative video depicting a Latino male’s mental healthcare journey. We recruited 424 non-college, Latinx adults via Qualtrics XM to participate in our study. Thirty-five percent of participants were between 35-54 years old and 54.7% identified as female.

We randomly assigned participants to one of the four video conditions. Participants completed pre-and post-MHL, stigma, & help-seeking intentions (HSI) measures and were randomly presented with one video. We hypothesized that participants who viewed the narrative video would have the largest increase in MHL in comparison to the other video conditions. Three mixed-factorial ANOVAs were conducted, whereby video condition was our between-subjects factor, and time was a repeated-measure factor.

Analyses revealed a significant interaction between video and time on MHL, F (3,420) = 2.894, p = .035. Mental health literacy scores were significantly higher in time 2 for the educational video (M = 8.74, SD = 1.515) compared to the narrative (M = 7.95, SD = 5.23, p < .001) and control video conditions (M = 8.29, SD = 1.513 p = .034).

Contrary to our hypothesis, participants who viewed the educational video had higher MHL scores than those who viewed the narrative video. Perhaps directly addressing mental health concerns and treatment instead of illustrating experiences with mental health concerns generates a greater understanding of mental health and mental health care. It may be that clear psychoeducational approaches resonate better with regards to understanding mental health, compared to demonstrating an example of what such concerns may look like for an individual. Moreover, it is important to recognize that the narrative video shared instances leading up to receiving care and understanding the mental health concerns experienced by the protagonist, and did not share as much information on what that care actually entails.

Results highlight important considerations for effective video content for increasing MHL among Latinxs. Future research is encouraged to expand upon this study to develop adequate videos that are both informative and accessible for historically underserved communities, in continuous efforts to advance our field’s cultural responsiveness to the mental health needs of diverse populations.