Abstract
Little is known about African American families' experiences with mental health services. A purposive sample of 40 dyads of African American youth (aged 13 to 19) and their mothers participated in a cross-sectional qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews that elicited information about their past experiences and satisfaction with mental health services. Though rarely received, group and family therapy were perceived favorably. However, both mothers and youth reported dissatisfaction centered on medication and lack of professionalism, confidentiality, and concern by providers. The failure of mental health services providers to meet basic standards of quality and professionalism may explain the low rate of service use by African Americans.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 678-686 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Issues in Mental Health Nursing |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 7 2011 |
Funding
This research was supported by award number R21MH079836 from the National Institute of Mental Health to the first author. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health. The assistance of Jason Wallis (coding and data management), Rochelle Jackson (interviewing and administration), and Yara Mekawi (coding), is gratefully acknowledged.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Phychiatric Mental Health