Unmet Mental Health Care Needs among Asian Americans 10 to 11 Years After Exposure to the World Trade Center Attack

Course overview

This study investigated the prevalence of unmet mental health care needs (UMHCN) and their associated factors among 2344 Asian Americans directly exposed to the World Trade Center (WTC) attack 10 to 11 years afterwards. Given the pervasive underutilization of mental health services among Asians, their subjective evaluation of unmet needs could provide more nuanced information on disparities of service. Results suggest that continued outreach efforts to provide mental health education to Asian communities to increase knowledge about stressful life events, mental illness, mental health conditions, mental health service use, and treatment options, reduce stigmatization of mental illness, and offer free mental health services are crucial to address UMHCN.