Solutions to Reduce

Solutions to Reducing Barriers that Effect African American Womans Ability to Access
Quality Mental Healthcare

Solutions to Reducing barriers that Effect African American Womans Ability to Access Quality
Mental Healthcare
Linda Logan
Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar
Dr. K. Miller, Instructor
March 6, 2015

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Abstract
The purpose of this study is identify long-term solutions that will work in reducing the barriers
that effect African American Womens ability to seek current healthcare information and quality
treatment for mental illness unhindered from political and economic limitations and
social/cultural attitudes.
African American woman are exposed to mental illness by way of just living while being black
and female in a white and male dominated society and the purpose of this paper is to document
the recognized interdisciplinary solutions that will work to reduce and eventually eliminate the
social, cultural, political, historical and economic limitations that affect our mental health care
and treatment.
Introduction
In 2000 there were 34.7 million African Americans in the United States, making up
approximately 13% of the population. Unfortunately, almost 25% - or 7.5 million- African
Americans have been diagnosed with mental illness (Ward, E. C., Clark, L. O., & Heidrich, S.
(2009). African American women might be over represented in this population as they are at a
higher risk for developing mental illness. Risk factors include lower income, poor health,
multiple role strain, and the double minority status of race and gender (Neufeld A, Harrison
MJ, Steward M, 2008; Schneider KT, Hitlan RT, Radhakrishnan P, 2000). Older AfricanAmerican women might be at an additional risk because of the high prevalence of chronic
disease in this population, and the demonstrated correlations between chronic disease and mental
health issues such as depression (Artinian NT, Washington OG, Flack JM, Hockman EM, Jen,
2006). A national study conducted by the California Black Womens Health Project (Ward, et al,
2009), revealed that 60% of African American woman experience symptoms of depression. Even

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so, the use of outpatient mental health services is lower from African American woman
compared to White women and African American men (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services [DHHS], 2001).
Literature Review
In this review, I would like to show documented causes or factors that contribute to African
American woman being at a higher risk of developing mental illness because of multiple risk
factors, including age and list the types of identified disparities that restrict our access to quality
mental healthcare. Results from a Common Sense Model study conducted by researchers Ward,
Clark and Heidrich in 2009, and which is the basis of this study, utilized ideas, attitudes, and
beliefs formed by experience, cultural traditions, formal education, and stories from family and
friends to construct lay theories and that determined representations of health threats and illness
that were categorized as three types: general, culturally specific, and age related (Ward, et al,
2009). General causal factors included trauma, stress, biology or genetics, alcohol and drug
abuse, social relationships, individual personality issues, environment and triggers. Culturally
specific causes included social issues including racism, dual discrimination and the oppression,
injustice and daily stress and hassles related to being Black; Psychological problems included
were perceived as low self-esteem resulting from racism, dual discrimination and historical
oppression. Age related causal factors were based on age related illness and lack of physical and
mental activity after 65. In a 2001, A Report of the Surgeon General, documented the lack of
access and the poor quality of mental health care that people of color had been receiving and
subsequent reports including the Institute of Medicines Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial
and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare, (2003), and the Presidents New Freedom Commission on
Mental Health Achieving Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America (2003), add to

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the list: lack of health insurance, lack of mental health education and awareness, inadequate
medical coverage based on low income (National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2005); these
types of barriers are identified as system-level barriers. Individual-level type barriers would
include-how individuals view their experience and encounters with the system and which
unfortunately in the African American community, is based on a historical cultural mistrust of
the system and the cultural stigmatization of mental Illness in general ( Ward, et al, 2009).
Among the barriers, stigma has been identified as the most significant because it is both types,
systemic and individual (DHHS, 2001).
Resolutions
Even though quite a bit of healthcare reform has taken place in barrier reduction on the systemlevel in healthcare management and services across the board, since these studies and manuals
were created, with the creation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, millions of uninsured
Americans gained access to medical insurance with more preventative care coverage for a wider
range of services; however, there still is much to be done to in the area of revamping mental
health care services to reflect the same commitment to the diverse needs and cultural factors of
an underserved population and, on the same level, develop access to resources and educational
opportunities, which have already been implemented in other areas of medical treatment, such as
in the treatment Cancer, HIV/AIDS and Diabetes, which also affect a higher proportion of
African Americans (Carrasco, M., 2004)
On the individual-level of barrier treatment because of historical context of our cultural
mistrust of US Healthcare Systems and cultural stigmatization of mental illness in our
community, system-level barrier reduction methods will have to achieve a cultural
competence in mental health services that would include awareness and sensitivity training that

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would be applied to knowledge and practical application of evidenced based interventions and
supports, which would be specific in addressing the needs and interests of African American
women; provide more visibility in the black community and other communities of color; commit
to focusing on cultural diversity for the long haul; by building a diverse leadership that is
committed to broadening the cultural diversity of the staff, administration and board of directors
and by demonstrating leadership in addressing racism by encourage internal discussions about
how racism affects mental health in African American woman and continued dedication of
resources for cultural competency training (Carrasco, M.2004) .
On the individual-level barrier reductions all African Americas and people of color and women
specifically, have to take ownership of their citizenship that exists inside of their selves.
This means to adopt positive attitudes about healthy living and mental health that are tailored to
meet our needs and the needs of our family, and not the whims and cultural ignorance of others.
There is no shame in illness, mental or otherwise, the shame exists when others, who are in a
position to help, refuse to help those who are in need.

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References
1.ArtinianNT,WashingtonOG,FlackJM,HockmanEM,JenKL.Depression,stress,and
bloodpressureinurbanAfricanAmericanwomen.ProgressinCardiovascularNursing.
2006;21(2):6875.[PubMed]
2.Carrasco,M.AfricanAmericanOutreachResourceManual,NAMIMulticulturalAction
Center,September2004
3.CristanchoS,GarcesDM,PetersKE,MuellerB.ListeningtoruralHispanicimmigrantsin
theMidwest:Acommunitybasedparticipatoryassessmentofmajorbarrierstohealthcare
accessanduse.QualitativeHealthResearch.2008;18:633646.[PubMed]
4."EliminatingDisparitiesinMentalHealth",("AgencyforHealthcareResearchandQuality
NationalHealthcareDisparitiesReport",2005)
5.NeufeldA,HarrisonMJ,StewardM,HughesK.Advocacyofwomenfamilycaregivers:
Responsetononsupportiveinteractionswithprofessionals.QualitativeHealthResearch.
2008;18:301310.[PubMed]
6.SchneiderKT,HitlanRT,RadhakrishnanP.Anexaminationofthenatureandcorrelatesof
ethnicharassmentexperiencesinmultiplecontexts.JournalofAppliedPsychology.
2000;85(1):312.[PubMed]
7.U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.Mentalhealth:Culture,raceandethnicity
Asupplementtomentalhealth:AreportoftheSurgeonGeneral.Rockville,MD:Author,
SubstanceAbuseandMentalHealthServicesCenterforMentalHealthServices;2001.

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8. Ward, E. C., Clark, L. O., & Heidrich, S. (2009). African American Womens
Beliefs, Coping Behaviors, and Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Services.
Qualitative Health Research, 19(11), 15891601.
doi:10.1177/1049732309350686

Appendix
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