PART 4

Barrier to access and utilization of Healthcare to African American population with mental
health
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Part 4: Analysis, Results, Discussion & Clinical Research Implications Draft
Analysis and results
This study focused on examining these barriers to access and utilization of healthcare
among African American population with mental health. This is due to the fact that incidences of
mental illness are akin across ethnic and racial groups. Hence, individuals that mostly need
mental health services carry a huge weight from un-received mental health services.
The body of research on disparities in mental health care access and utilization in the Black
American population has grown considerably since the late 1980s (Coombs et al., 2021) The
existing literature has shed light on the existence of these disparities but has not explained the
processes that underpin them. Exploration of the processes underpinning barriers, facilitators and
decisions in regard to service use in this group has the potential to improve knowledge both
within and across cultures. Identifying and comprehending each of these elements of mental
health service utilization eventually improves culturally appropriate service delivery.
The findings of the study have shown that some of the barriers to accessing and using
healthcare among African-American population with mental health are culturally based. The
table below provides the findings. The findings of the study in table 1 below indicate that
31.18% of the participants argued that stigmatization was one of the cultural barriers to accessing
healthcare, 18.23% argued that lack of awareness in regard to mental health was a cultural
barrier, 24.25% indicated that lack of diverse workforce was a cultural barrier to healthcare,
21.76% indicated mistrust of treatment and 4.58% specified other cultural barriers such as
distrust of doctors, language barriers, and gender aspects. This implies that the findings of the
study indicate that stigmatization, lack of awareness, lack of diverse workforce and mistrust of
treatment to be cultural barriers that deter African American people with mental health to access
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and utilize healthcare. This is supported by Kiselev et al. (2020) who argued that the some of the
cultural barriers that hinder minority groups such as Syrian refugees from accessing healthcare
are lack of bicultural workforce, stigmatization and lack of awareness.
Table 1: cultural barriers to access healthcare
Cultural barriers to access healthcare

Cultural barriers Frequency (f) Percentage (%)
stigmatization 53 31.18%
lack of awareness 31 18.23%
lack of bicultural staff 42 24.25%
mistrust of treatment 37 21.76%
any other specify 7 4.58%
Total 170 100
___________________________________________________________________________
Additionally, the study sought to examine the structural barriers that hinder African
American people with mental health to access or utilize healthcare. The findings in table 2
indicates that some of the structural barriers are lack of resources, negative impact of
professionals’ attitudes, limitations for acceptance, and restrictive guidelines for identified
services. This is supported by Kohlenberger et al. (2019) who argued that guidelines for
identified services hinder the minority groups from access healthcare.

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Table 2: structural barriers to access healthcare
Structural barriers to access healthcare

Structural barriers Frequency (f) Percentage (%)
Lack of resources 49 28.82%
Negative professionals’ attitudes 37 21.76%
Limitations for acceptance 42 24.71%
Restrictive guidelines 37 21.76%
Any other specify 5 2.95%
Total 170 100
___________________________________________________________________________
Lastly, the study looked at the socio-economic barriers to accessing healthcare among
African American people with mental health.
Table 3: socio-economic barriers to access healthcare
Socio-economic barriers to access healthcare

Socio-economic barriers Frequency (f) Percentage (%)
Financial obstacles 71 41.76%
Competing obligations 54 31.76%
Level of impairment 38 22.35%
Any other specify 7 4.13%
Total 170 100
___________________________________________________________________________
Some of the socio-economic barriers include financial obstacles, competing obligations,
and level of impairment. The table three above most of the respondents (41.76%) indicated that
financial obstacles are socio-economic barriers for African American with mental health to
access and utilize mental health services. This was followed by competing obligations (31.76%)
where by people have other obligations such as taking care of their children, and jobs.
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Discussion and Clinical Research Implications
This study has shown that African American population with mental health issues face
multiple cultural, structural and socio-economic barriers to accessing and utilizing mental
healthcare. However, the most prominent barriers being cultural and socio-economic barriers.
Some of the cultural barriers include stigmatization, lack of awareness, lack of bicultural staff,
and mistrust of treatment. The socio-economic barriers are financial obstacles, competing
obligations and level of impairment.
According to these findings, there are numerous clinical research implications. One of the
clinical implications is that African American population with mental health along with health
practitioners need to receive information on mental illness to ensure that African American
population is aware of the implications and how to access mental healthcare. Additionally, there
is need to reach out to African American population with mental illness through conducting short
systematic screening by trained health practitioners working in Black communities to assist in
identifying individuals with mental health issues. This is supported by Jon-Ubabuco and Dimmitt
Champion (2019) who indicate that systematic screening can assist to identify people with
mental illness. Lastly, there is need to have clear guidelines for health providers on how to
proceed when African American people show signs of mental illness which could be beneficial
in breaking structural barriers.

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References
Coombs, N. C., Meriwether, W. E., Caringi, J., & Newcomer, S. R. (2021). Barriers to healthcare
access among US adults with mental health challenges: A population-based study. SSM-
population health, 15, 100847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100847
Jon-Ubabuco, N., & Dimmitt Champion, J. (2019). Perceived mental healthcare barriers and
health-seeking behavior of African-American caregivers of adolescents with mental
health disorders. Issues in mental health nursing, 40(7), 585-592.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2018.1547803
Kiselev, N., Pfaltz, M., Haas, F., Schick, M., Kappen, M., Sijbrandij, M., ... & Morina, N.
(2020). Structural and socio-cultural barriers to accessing mental healthcare among
Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Switzerland. European journal of
psychotraumatology, 11(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1717825
Kohlenberger, J., Buber-Ennser, I., Rengs, B., Leitner, S., & Landesmann, M. (2019). Barriers to
health care access and service utilization of refugees in Austria: Evidence from a cross-
sectional survey. Health Policy, 123(9), 833-839.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2019.01.014

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Barrier to access and utilization of Healthcare to African American population with mental

Part 4: Analysis, Results, Discussion & Clinical Research Implications Draft

Analysis and results

health service utilization eventually improves culturally appropriate service delivery.

are lack of bicultural workforce, stigmatization and lack of awareness.

Table 1: cultural barriers to access healthcare

Cultural barriers to access healthcare

identified services hinder the minority groups from access healthcare.

Table 2: structural barriers to access healthcare

Structural barriers to access healthcare

African American people with mental health.

Table 3: socio-economic barriers to access healthcare

Socio-economic barriers to access healthcare

Discussion and Clinical Research Implications

obligations and level of impairment.

systematic screening by trained health practitioners working in Black communities to assist in

in breaking structural barriers.

population health, 15, 100847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100847

health-seeking behavior of African-American caregivers of adolescents with mental

health disorders. Issues in mental health nursing, 40(7), 585-592.

(2020). Structural and socio-cultural barriers to accessing mental healthcare among

Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Switzerland. European journal of

psychotraumatology, 11(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1717825

sectional survey. Health Policy, 123(9), 833-839.

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