 |
|
|
| |
Different Factors Drive Mental Health Desires and Referrals for Black MSM
|
| |
| |
AIDS 2022, July 29-August 2, Montreal
Mark Mascolini
More than half of young black men who have sex with men (MSM) in a 100-man US survey reported wanting to see a mental health provider in the last year, yet only 40% of providers made such a referral [1]. Substance use risk raised odds of desire to see a mental health professional 6-fold, but other factors predicted ever actually seeing a mental health professional or getting a provider referral in the last year.
Mental health problems like depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use are frequent in young black MSM, noted Emory University researchers who conducted this study. But little is known about how often these men desire or seek mental health care, or how often their provider gives them a referral for such care.
To explore these issues, the Emory investigators conducted a cross-sectional survey of 100 young black MSM (18 to 29 years old) recruited from two HIV clinics in Atlanta. They used regression models to identify factors linked to mental health care desires and needs in analyses adjusted for demographics, HIV stigma, religiosity, trust in physicians, anxiety, depression, trauma and stress-related symptoms, and substance use.
Three quarters of the 100 respondents, 78%, described themselves as gay or same-gender loving, while 22% said they were bisexual. Half of the men, 52%, had a high school education or less, 38% had a full-time job, 20% a part-time job, and 42% no job. More than half had an annual income below $20,000. Almost 1 in 6 men, 15%, had been homeless in the past 3 months, and 25% moved two or more times in the past 6 months. Just over half of the men, 51%, had ever been incarcerated. Four in 5 men reported substance abuse risk, and 41% recorded stress on the CESD-R test. On the Generalized Anxiety Disorder assessment, 19% had mild anxiety, 15% moderate anxiety, and 14% severe anxiety. A large minority, 43%, had PTSD according to the Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen.
About half of the young black MSM who responded to this survey, 51%, had ever seen a mental health provider, while 53% had seen such a mental health professional in the last year and 40% had a provider referral to a mental health specialist in the last year. Among the 40 men with a referral, 55% visited a mental health provider after the referral.
Adjusted regression analysis picked out four factors independently associated with ever seeing a mental health provider, at the following adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI):
Lowered odds of mental health visit:
- Annual income $20,000 to $29,999 vs under $10,000: aOR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.71
- Homeless in past 2 months vs not homeless: aOR 0.21, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.83
Raised odds of mental health visit:
- Nonorganizational religious activity: aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.03
- Severe anxiety vs no symptoms on GAD-7: aOR 8.64, 95% CI 1.50 to 49.90
Two variables independently predicted desire to see a mental health provider last year:
Lowered odds of desire to see mental health provider:
- Annual income $20,000 to $29,999 vs under $10,000: aOR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.82
Raised odds of desire to see mental health provider:
- Substance use risk: aOR 6.04, 95% CI 1.05 to 34.90
And regression analysis linked three factors to getting a provider referral to a mental health specialist last year:
Lowered odds of referral:
- Annual income $20,000 to $29,999 vs under $10,000: aOR 0.13, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.73
Raised odds of referral:
- Ever been incarcerated: aOR 3.07, 95% CI 1.04 to 9.04
- Gay vs bisexual/straight/questioning: aOR 4.12, 95% CI 1.08 to 15.81
The researchers believe their findings mean health providers should consider recommending mental health services to a wider range of young black MSM. For example, they observed, substance users may want to see a mental health provider even if they do not display classic symptoms of anxiety or depression. Higher odds of ever seeing a mental health worker among young black MSM engaging in religious activity underscore the potential psychosocial differences between black and white MSM in the United States.
Reference
1. Doraivelu K, Chaudhury C, Camp DM, et al. Mental health services utilization among young Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV. AIDS 2022, July 29-August 2, Montreal. Abstract OAD0703.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
