Improving Access to Mental Health Services for African American Women

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Gaston
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
African American Women ◽  
American Women

scholarly journals Development of a Mobile App to Support Self-Management of Anxiety and Depression in African American Women: A Usability Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terika McCall ◽  
Muhammad Osama Ali ◽  
Fei Yu ◽  
Paul Fontelo ◽  
Saif Khairat
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
User Interface ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Usability Testing ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
American Women

BACKGROUND Anxiety and depressive disorders are the most common mental health conditions among African American women (AAW). Despite the need for mental health care, AAW significantly underutilize mental health services. Past mHealth studies revealed significant improvement in anxiety or depressive symptoms post-intervention. Use of mobile applications (apps) has the potential to eliminate or mitigate barriers for AAW seeking to access mental health services and resources. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the usability of the prototype of an app designed to support self-management of anxiety and depression in AAW. METHODS Individual usability testing sessions were conducted with 15 participants in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Cognitive walkthrough and a think-aloud protocol were used to evaluate the user interface. Eye tracking glasses were used to record participants’ visual focus and gaze path as they performed tasks. The Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction was administered following each session to assess participants’ acceptance of the app. RESULTS Participants positively rated the usability of the prototype and provided recommendations for app improvement. The average of means scores for usability assessment (i.e., overall reactions to the software, screen, terminology and app information, learning, and app capabilities) ranged from 7.2 to 8.8 on a scale from 0 to 9 (low to high rating) for user tasks. Most participants were able to complete each task with limited or no assistance. Design recommendations included improving the user interface by adding graphics and color, adding a tutorial for first-time users, curating a list of Black women therapist within the app, adding details about tracking anxiety and depression in the check-up graphs, informing users that they can use the talk-to-text feature for journal entries to reduce burden, relabeling the mental health information icon, monitoring for crisis support, and improving clickthrough sequencing. CONCLUSIONS This study provided better understanding of user experience with an app tailored to support management of anxiety and depression for AAW, an underserved group. Since AAW have high rates of smartphone ownership, there is a great opportunity to use mobile technology to provide access to needed mental health services and resources. Future work will include incorporating feedback from the usability testing and focus group sessions to refine and further develop the app. The updated app will undergo iterative usability testing prior to launching the pilot study to assess efficacy. CLINICALTRIAL

Perceptions of Mental Health Services among Low-Income, Perinatal African-American Women

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Leis ◽  
Tamar Mendelson ◽  
Deborah F. Perry ◽  
S. Darius Tandon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
American Women

What Would That Be Like?: Urban African American Youth's Expectations of Mental Health Services

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tisha R. Wiley ◽  
Jason Wallis ◽  
Cynthia Najdowski ◽  
Richard Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services

African American Women and Depression: Promoting the Need for Culturally Competent Treatment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernice Kennedy ◽  
Chalice Jenkins ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
American Woman ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
American Women

Abstract Depression is gradually increasing in African American women. These women are experiencing role changes and additional life stressors. Depressed African American women may perceive themselves as being devalued by society with fewer support systems to buffer stressful events. Depressive symptoms may develop into clinical depression and a further decrease in the quality of life for the African American woman. The assumption that all women share similar experiences does not allow for differences to emerge regarding the diagnostic process, measuring tools, and successful treatment strategies for various cultures. The authors developed a Multifaceted Model of Depression in African American Women for improving treatment of African American women with depression and future research needs. Cultural background plays a vital role in how the symptoms of mental illnesses are developed, reported, interpreted, and how women are treated. African Americans who subscribed to the Strong Black Women Archetype (SBWA) are naturally strong, resilient, self-contained, and self-sacrificing. This self-reliance prevents them from reaching out for social support. This, in turn, can contribute to depressive symptoms with negative health outcomes. The African American women are more apt to have less access to routine medical care where early diagnosis and interventions can be done, so their mental health problems (e.g., depression, stress, etc.) are often more developed, complicated, and their social supports more depleted when they do access treatment. When African American women do have access to mental health care, they receive poor quality care compared to Whites.

scholarly journals The Acceptability of Text Messaging to Help African American Women Manage Anxiety and Depression: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

10.2196/15801 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e15801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terika McCall ◽  
Todd A Schwartz ◽  
Saif Khairat
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
African American ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
American Women ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Insight Into

Background The rates of mental illness among African American women are comparable with the general population; however, they significantly underutilize mental health services compared with their white counterparts. Previous studies revealed that interventions delivered via text messaging are effective and can be used to increase access to services and resources. More insight into whether or not this modality is acceptable for use to deliver mental health care to help African American women manage anxiety and depression is needed. Objective This exploratory study aimed to gain insight into the acceptability of using text messaging to help African American women manage anxiety and depression. Methods A self-administered Web-based survey was launched in June 2018 and closed in August 2018. Eligible participants were African American women (18 years or older) who reside in the United States. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling (eg, email sent via listservs and social media posts). Respondents were provided an anonymous link to the questionnaire. The survey consisted of 53 questions on the following subjects: sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, mobile phone use, and acceptability of using a mobile phone to receive mental health care. Results The results of this exploratory study (N=101) showed that fewer than half of respondents endorsed the use of text messaging to communicate with a professional to receive help to manage anxiety (49/101, 48.5%) and depression (43/101, 42.6%). Approximately 51.4% (52/101) agreed that having the option to use text messaging to communicate with a professional if they are dealing with anxiety would be helpful. Similarly, 48.5% (49/101) agreed that having the option to use text messaging to communicate with a professional if they are dealing with depression would be helpful. Among participants who agreed that text messaging would be helpful, more than 80% noted being comfortable with its use to receive help for managing anxiety (approximately 86%, 45/52) and depression (approximately 82%, 40/49; highly significant positive association, all P<.001). More than 50% of respondents (56/101, 55.4%) indicated having concerns about using text messaging. No statistically significant associations were found between age and agreement with the use of text messaging to communicate with a professional to receive help for managing anxiety (P=.26) or depression (P=.27). Conclusions The use of text messaging was not highly endorsed by African American women as an acceptable mode of communication with a professional to help them manage anxiety or depression. Concerns around privacy, confidentiality, and the impersonal feel of communicating about sensitive issues via text messages must be addressed for this modality to be a viable option. The findings of this study demonstrated the need for further research into the use of mobile technology to provide this population with more accessible and convenient options for mental health care.

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