Abstract: Research shows that people of color are less likely to access community-based services, particularly for mental health concerns. One possible explanation is that low-income (often minority) individuals are likely to encounter barriers to means-tested services, although our earlier work (MacPhee, Fritz, & Schubert, 1998) showed that ethnic differences in access still exist with income controlled. Ethnic minority families often turn to social support networks instead of formal supports for tangible assistance, but informal support fails to explain ethnic differences in service utilization (nor does acculturation and self-efficacy). These individual parameters explain some but by no means most of the variance in help-seeking, suggesting that structural barriers to services may be important for minorities. Utilizing program data on service barriers, this paper will determine (a) if income, self-efficacy, acculturation, and social support are more important explanations of teen mothers' use of community services, as compared to the older parents previously studied; and (b) what barriers to services are perceived by adolescent mothers.
Data are being collected from adolescent mothers in Colorado. Roughly 40% are Navajo with the rest equally divided among Hispanic and Anglo teens. All complete baseline measures include multiple measures of income, self-efficacy, and social support, as well as assessing acculturation and collecting detailed information on use of and need for community services, and perceived barriers to services. Regression analyses will be used to determine which variables explain ethnic variations in service utilization. Data related to barriers will be examined descriptively.
Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants should be able to: 1) gain an understanding of ethnic variations in service utilization; 2) identify the factors contributing to these variations; and 3) appreciate the implications of findings for program design and policy
Keywords: Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Service Delivery
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.