Mental Health and Social Support Among Hispanic Adults: Exploring Challenges and Opportunities for Intervention

Objectives: To better understand the health disparities and role of social support within the Hispanic population, including mental health, attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic, and health-seeking behaviors. Methods: The current study examined the mental health indices, health-seeking behaviors, COVID-19 parameters, and the importance of social support for Hispanic individuals based on their citizenship status and birthplace. A secondary data analysis of the 2020 NHIS survey was conducted. The dataset was divided based on the individuals who answered “Hispanic” as their preferred race. Results: The results indicated that a little more than a third of the Hispanic adults experienced depression and almost two-thirds experienced anxiety, with just less than a third experiencing it daily, weekly or monthly. However, relatively few (less than 10%) sought medical treatment and/or were unable to seek treatment due to cost. Various descriptive analyses were carried out to answer multiple research questions in this study. Conclusions: Hispanic adults may face more health adversities than their counterparts. Studies on mental health, specifically anxiety and depression among Hispanic adults, are needed. Moreover, the immigration status of Hispanic adults may dictate their attitude toward help-seeking behaviors (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). This study adds a valuable resource to the literature by providing an understanding of some of the reasons underlying disparities may be experienced by Hispanic communities.