Acceptability of exposure-based treatments for PTSD among Latinxs: A mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVE: Latinx individuals are the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and are substantially impacted by trauma. Despite the potential benefit that Latinx individuals could experience from existing evidence-based treatments, they demonstrate low service-utilization rates. The current study examined treatment acceptability of exposure-based treatment for PTSD, using mixed methodology. Because exposure-based PTSD treatments were developed through a Western cultural lens, we hypothesized that (a) Latinx individuals would have low rates of treatment acceptability, (b) acculturation would positively predict treatment acceptability, and (c) enculturation would negatively predict treatment acceptability. METHOD: Participants were 95 Latinx individuals. All participants were provided with a vignette depicting a fictional character who underwent exposure therapy for PTSD. A subset of participants completed a semistructured interview assessing their views on exposure-based treatments for PTSD (n = 25), and a subset of participants completed a questionnaire examining treatment acceptability of exposure-based therapy for PTSD (n = 70). RESULTS: Results from the qualitative data revealed that Latinx individuals identified both favorable and negative elements of exposure-based interventions for PTSD. Additionally, we noted that participants had a belief system regarding how they perceived exposure-based treatments to work. Results from the quantitative data indicate that our participants generally found exposure-based therapy to be acceptable and that enculturation (but not acculturation) predicted treatment acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: Because attitudes toward treatment contribute to outcomes, we concluded that the aggravating elements, mitigating factors, and perceived mechanism of change together contribute to Latinx acceptability of exposure-based treatment for PTSD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

¡No me duele cuando me deprimo!: An Examination of Ethnic Differences in Depression Symptoms Among Latinx and Non-Latinx Primary Care Patients.

The research on ethnic differences in prevalence rates of depression is mixed. Additionally, culture has been hypothesized to impact symptom manifestation. The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence rates of depression among Spanish-speaking Latinx and non-Latinx White (NLW) primary care patients and explore ethnic differences in how depression symptoms manifest. Participants were 240 primary care patients who completed a demographic questionnaire and the Beck Depression-Inventory-2 (BDI-II). Latinx primary care patients had lower prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and less severe depressive symptoms than NLW primary care patients. Holding total BDI-II score constant, Latinxs also endorse pessimism, past failures, feelings of being punished, agitation, and problems with sleeping less than their NLW counterparts. This study adds support to research that indicates that Latinxs have lower rates of depression than NLWs and suggests that Latinxs are not more likely to endorse somatic complaints.

Correction to: Caregiver Voices: Cross-Cultural Input on Improving Access to Autism Services.

Please note that the middle name of coauthor Francisco Reinosa Segovia was misspelled (as "Rienosa") is this article as originally published.

Caregiver Voices: Cross-Cultural Input on Improving Access to Autism Services.

Decades of research have established that racial ethnic minority, low-income, and/or non-English speaking children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are diagnosed later than white children, and their families experience greater difficulty accessing services in the USA. Delayed access to timely diagnosis and early intervention may impact child outcomes and family quality of life. Despite their cognition of these disparities and their significant impact on the lives of those affected, explanations for the barriers experienced by underserved families are elusive, likely due to the complex interaction between structural and family factors. This study used qualitative methods to gather family and provider perspectives of perceived barriers and facilitators to obtaining an ASD diagnosis and accessing ASD-related services for underserved families. Themes from focus groups and interviews with families from three cultural groups (black, Hispanic/Latino, and Korean) and three primary languages (English, Korean, and Spanish) highlight specific barriers related to family, community, and systemic challenges as well as facilitators to accessing care for these populations. Family experiences are expanded upon with viewpoints from the providers who work with them. Recommendations are made for reducing disparities in the existing ASD service system including increasing professional, family, and community education; increasing culturally responsive care; improving provider-family partnerships; and addressing practical challenges to service access.