1 - (SYM 9) Mental Health Service Utilization and Preference Among Central American Migrant Families

The United States has seen an influx of Central American migrant youth and families in recent years (USCBP, 2019). Research suggests migrant youth are at increased risk for developing mental health problems from enduring the migration process (Caballero et al., 2017; Wood, 2018), which can be exacerbated by caregiver-child separation due to migration (DeWaard et al., 2018). In response, there have been efforts to increase culturally tailored mental health service access and effectiveness for migrant youth and families (Ellis et al., 2020). However, there is limited understanding of the specific services that are most needed among migrant families and the extent to which mental health services are perceived as necessary. This presentation describes semi-structured interview data from 16 Central American families who experienced separation due to migration and subsequently reunited in the U.S. Full procedures are documented in Berger Cardoso et al. (2022). Both mothers and youth (age range 10-18; 56.3% female) responded to an open-ended question regarding what sorts of services would benefit them and other migrant families as part of a broader study focused on cultural adaptation of the Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers (MISC; Klein, 1996; Sharp et al., in press) intervention. Several themes were reported across mother and child report. Primarily, the sample (n = 7 mothers, n = 5 youth) expressed needing tangible support for basic needs (e.g. food, housing, employment) and assistance navigating the immigration system amid legal concerns. Additionally, respondents (n = 4 mothers, n = 7 youth) indicated needing more social support that often aligned with their values (e.g. religion). As participants were in a therapeutic setting, several (n = 9 mothers, n = 2 youth) noted a need for mental health interventions, including family and individual therapy. These findings support the need for ongoing cultural adaptations of evidence-based mental health services and are consistent with reports that Hispanic youth in the U.S. have difficulty accessing services (Merikangas et al., 2011), but also point to more pressing, non-clinical needs in immigrant families. Indeed, the primacy of support for basic, tangible needs was noted. Moreover, findings suggest clinical services can benefit from a broader context of social support that includes culturally relevant sources of resilience.