Disparities in Mental Health Care Among HIV-Infected Youth
Disparities in Mental Health Care Among HIV-Infected Youth
Of the 1706 participants living with HIV who were enrolled in the larger study, 42.6% reported symptoms in the defined clinical range. Of the 727 reporting significant symptoms, 27.5% were born female and 72.4% were born male. Because the ATN clinics serve transgender individuals, gender was assessed both at birth and currently since youth could be in various stages of gender transition. In all, 87% of the sample was 20 years or older, with the entire sample between the ages of 13 and 26 years. Of the 727 reporting clinical symptoms, 39.7% reported mental health care in the past year and 21.9% reported receiving medications for emotional issues.
As shown in Table 1, blacks were significantly less likely than nonblacks to have received mental health care (34.7% versus 48.6%, chi-square = 12.95, P < .001). In contrast, Latinos were more likely than non-Latinos to report receiving mental health care (52.9% versus 35.7%, chi-square (χ) = 16.07, P < .001). There were no other proportional differences based on those who received or did not receive mental health care, and likewise there was no difference based on mean age (21.3, standard deviation [SD] = 2.1, versus 21.4, SD = 2.1; t = .61, P = .54).
Table 1 also indicates that blacks were less likely to receive psychiatric medications than nonblacks (19.3% versus 26.9%, χ = 5.48, P = .019). In contrast, those with a history of incarceration were more likely to have received psychotropics in the past year (26.1% versus 18.7%, χ = 5.56, P = .018). There were no other proportional differences based on those who received or did not receive psychotropic medication, and likewise there was no difference based on mean age (21.3, SD = 2.1 versus 21.6, SD = 2.0; t = 1.70, P = .09).
Post hoc analyses, to examine whether the observed racial and ethnic differences in receipt of mental health care were associated with differences in symptom severity, found no differences in mean item GSI scores between blacks and nonblacks (1.60, SD = 0.7 versus 1.59, SD = 0.7; t = 0.1, P = .93) or between Latinos and non-Latinos (1.57, SD = 0.7 versus 1.50, SD = 0.7, t = 0.54, P = .59).
Results
Of the 1706 participants living with HIV who were enrolled in the larger study, 42.6% reported symptoms in the defined clinical range. Of the 727 reporting significant symptoms, 27.5% were born female and 72.4% were born male. Because the ATN clinics serve transgender individuals, gender was assessed both at birth and currently since youth could be in various stages of gender transition. In all, 87% of the sample was 20 years or older, with the entire sample between the ages of 13 and 26 years. Of the 727 reporting clinical symptoms, 39.7% reported mental health care in the past year and 21.9% reported receiving medications for emotional issues.
As shown in Table 1, blacks were significantly less likely than nonblacks to have received mental health care (34.7% versus 48.6%, chi-square = 12.95, P < .001). In contrast, Latinos were more likely than non-Latinos to report receiving mental health care (52.9% versus 35.7%, chi-square (χ) = 16.07, P < .001). There were no other proportional differences based on those who received or did not receive mental health care, and likewise there was no difference based on mean age (21.3, standard deviation [SD] = 2.1, versus 21.4, SD = 2.1; t = .61, P = .54).
Table 1 also indicates that blacks were less likely to receive psychiatric medications than nonblacks (19.3% versus 26.9%, χ = 5.48, P = .019). In contrast, those with a history of incarceration were more likely to have received psychotropics in the past year (26.1% versus 18.7%, χ = 5.56, P = .018). There were no other proportional differences based on those who received or did not receive psychotropic medication, and likewise there was no difference based on mean age (21.3, SD = 2.1 versus 21.6, SD = 2.0; t = 1.70, P = .09).
Post hoc analyses, to examine whether the observed racial and ethnic differences in receipt of mental health care were associated with differences in symptom severity, found no differences in mean item GSI scores between blacks and nonblacks (1.60, SD = 0.7 versus 1.59, SD = 0.7; t = 0.1, P = .93) or between Latinos and non-Latinos (1.57, SD = 0.7 versus 1.50, SD = 0.7, t = 0.54, P = .59).
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