Mental Health in the Latinx Community
Hi Friends!
Welcome to Issue 20 of this newsletter. This is our final consecutive week talking about Mental Health. Today we turn our attention to the Latinx communities of the United States. As a Puerto Rican and Dominican person, I grew up with Latinx food, music, traditions and culture. While some Latinx people are light-skin, even white passing, I am not, I am an Afro-Latina, descended from slaves, Tainos and Spaniards. For me, the fact that some of my cousins were two shades lighter and some were two shades darker, some had straight brown hair, and others had coiled dark hair, some spoke Spanish and some spoke English, just seemed fun, until I got older, and felt confused. Even within the microcosm that is my life, it’s clear to see that the Latinx experience is so varied. “The Hispanic/Latinx community in the U.S. is very diverse, including people from many different nations and regions of the world. Individuals of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American and South American descent have been part of the American cultural tapestry for centuries.” (NAMI) It was very clear during the election that a lot of folks in America thing of Latinidad as a monolith, when that simply isn’t the case. While some areas in my research on mental health overlap, there are so many nuances within specific ethnic groups and regions, just like all people. With that being said, let’s get into it!
Key Words
Hispanic: This English word evolved from the Latin word Hispanicus, which is reported to have been used to refer to people living in Hispania — the Iberian Peninsula in today’s Spain — during the Roman Empire. It came into use by the United States government during Richard Nixon’s presidency, which spanned 1968‒1974. It first appeared on the U.S. Census in 1980, as a question prompting the Census taker to determine whether or not the person was of Spanish/Hispanic origin. It specifically refers to people who speak Spanish and/or are descended from Spanish-speaking populations.
Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine: In an effort to be more inclusive to groups like Brazilians, who speak Portuguese, not Spanish, the word Latino came into the lexicon. This term takes the focus off the the Spanish colonizers and onto thee indigenous people of these regions. In 2004, Latinx became a gender neutral term. Recently, Latine became a gender neutral option that also follows along with the grammatical rules of the Spanish language.
Machismo: An exaggerated sense of masculinity wherein men must provide and protect their family.
Marianismo: A form of toxic femininity in response to machismo where women strive to be pure and moral like the Virgin Mary.
Limpias: A Mexican spiritual cleansing practice used to heal from emotional and spiritual imbalances, or after acute shock and trauma to support the spirit and emotional body.
Familismo: A cultural foundation that emphasizes connectedness and a strong attachment and duty to one’s family.
Acculturation: The level of a person’s acculturation, how thoroughly they have embraced or adopted the predominant culture of the place they live, can play a role in mental health and access to care. Acculturation has been found to predict use of health care services, with a higher level of acculturation resulting in higher utilization. Hispanic/Latinx communities have an added risk of experiencing mental health issues because of the stress of facing discrimination while also trying to navigate between different cultures.
Let’s Get Into It
Background
Unlike the newsletters about the Black and American Indigenous communities, the Latinx community is so massive, from so many various regions, that it’s impossible to create a succinct history that encompasses all perspectives. Instead, here is a brief and inclusive background based in shared culture.
The Latinx community has always struggled with stigma—both in and outside of the United States. The reasons are as varied as our our cultures’ pressure due to machismo, a heavy reliance on faith versus therapy, and a general lack of education when it comes to what psychology and psychiatry can do for us. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the financial and language barriers that cause many to view therapy as a “waste of money” or “something for white people.” (Oprah Magazine)
A 2019 NPR story revealed that Latinx youth are struggling more than ever with their mental health—in part due to the rise of the current anti-migrant rhetoric by Donald Trump and the previous administration. Additionally, a study in JAMA found that there’s been an uptick in the number of premature births among pregnant Latinx persons since the 2016 election.
There is the very real damage currently being inflicted upon immigrant families who are being separated at the border and across the country due to a rise in deportations. Even the American Psychological Association has spoken out about the traumatic effects these separations will have on the mental well-being of parents and children alike.
Language barriers, lack of health insurance, lack of financial ability, lack of cultural competence—meaning a doctor unfamiliar with Hispanic culture is more likely to misdiagnose, immigration status, acculturation and stigma are the main barriers to mental health services for the Latinx community. (NAMI)
Facts & Figures
Approximately 34% of Hispanic/Latinx adults with mental illness receive treatment each year compared to the U.S. average of 45%. (NAMI)
Among Hispanic American immigrants experiencing mental health issues, fewer than 1 in 20 use services from mental health specialists. (NCBI)
Only 5.5% of psychologists here in the States are able to give care in Spanish. (APA)
According to Pew Research, 84% of Latin Americans were raised Catholic, and 77% of Latinxs overall identify as Christian. This affects the stigma around seeking mental health care when most families rely on the church for this support. There is some similarity and overlap here with the Black community.
15.7% of Hispanic/Latinx people in the U.S. live in poverty (compared to 7.3% of non-Hispanic whites). This impacts access to healthcare. (NAMI)
In 2018, 19% of Hispanic people had no form of health insurance. (NAMI)
Over the last few weeks, I think we have learned that overall in POC communities, mental health is often stigmatized, or when folks seek help, they can be misdiagnosed or discriminated against due to culture and language barriers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find many resources that support mental health in the Latinx community, but I did find one organization that’s definitely worth mentioning. #MenOfColorSmile pushes back against toxic masculinity and explores “the intersection of Masculinity, Vulnerability, and Mental Wellness—together.”
Continue learning about the nuances between various Latinx ethnicities. Just because someone is European, we don’t assume Italians and Swedes have the same culture. In the same way, remember that Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, Cubans and Ecuadorians, Colombians and Dominicans, are different ethnic groups with rich and multifaceted histories.
