Racial Disparity of Mental Health Service Utilization Among Low-Income Head Start Eligible Parents

Based on the Head Start Impact Study, 1706 parents who had mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms were selected to examine the following questions: (1) Are there racial disparities in mental health service utilization among low-income parents? (2) Does Head Start have an impact on mental health service utilization across white, African American, and Hispanic parents? The present research found that, compared to white parents, African American and Hispanic parents are significantly less likely to utilize mental health services. Head Start impact was found for white parents but not for African American and Hispanic parents. Furthermore, parents who spoke a language other than English had higher household risk factors, and reside in rural areas are less likely to utilize mental health services. Mental health providers should deliver patient-centered services that consider cultural and linguistic competency as well as the personal life context of their patients to remove any barriers to accessing mental health services.