SynthesisPsychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)2016
Mental Health Service Use Among Immigrants in the United States: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 197 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
197 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Community Health Worker-Delivered Mental Health Interventions for Latine Populations in the U.S.: A Systematic Literature Review.Administration and policy in mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Access to mental healthcare for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants: an umbrella review of barriers.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Health Service Utilization of Black Immigrant Women Residing in the United States: A Systematic Review.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Pooled it
- Examining the mental health services among people with mental disorders: a literature review.BMC psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- A mixed methods systematic review of mental health self-care strategies for Arabic-speaking refugees and migrants.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Factors Associated with Professional Mental Help-Seeking Among U.S. Immigrants: A Systematic Review.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2023Pooled it
- Global prevalence of anxiety and PTSD in immigrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neuropsychiatrie : Klinik, Diagnostik, Therapie und Rehabilitation : Organ der Gesellschaft Osterreichischer Nervenarzte und Psychiater · 2022Pooled it
- Emotional distress, anxiety, and depression in South Asians with long-term conditions: a qualitative systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2022Pooled it
- Unmet Healthcare Needs Among Migrant Populations in Canada: Exploring the Research Landscape Through a Systematic Integrative Review.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2021Pooled it
- Barriers to Accessing and Negotiating Mental Health Services in Asylum Seeking and Refugee Populations: The Application of the Candidacy Framework.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2020Pooled it
- Supporting Transition Resilience Among Newcomer Groups (STRONG): Examining effectiveness and acceptability in urban public schools.American journal of community psychology · 2025Trial
- The efficacy of a self-help parenting program for parents of children with externalizing behavior: a randomized controlled trial.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2023Trial
- A parish-based multilevel cluster randomized controlled trial to reduce stigma and mental health treatment disparities among Latino communities.Contemporary clinical trials · 2023Trial
- Mental health stigma in depressed Latinos over the course of therapy: Results from a randomized controlled trial.Journal of clinical psychology · 2019Trial
- A Natural Helper Intervention to Address Disparities in Parent Child-Interaction Therapy: A Randomized Pilot Study.Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53Trial
- Conceptualizations, Causal Beliefs, and Coping Mechanisms for Mental Health Conditions Among Ethiopian Youth in Atlanta.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Academic achievement and socio-demographic differences in ADHD diagnosis: a population-based study of Swedish compulsory school pupils.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- Perspectives of South Korean Parents Toward Psychotropic Medication Use Among Autistic Individuals.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Neighborhood Adversity and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in a Low-Income Migrant Community on the U.S.-Mexico Border.Hispanic health care international : the official journal of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses · 2026Article
- Lay Counselor Delivery of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): A Systematic Review.Journal of child & adolescent trauma · 2026Article
137 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveImmigrants face stressors unique to the experience of migration that may exacerbate or cause mental health problems but access care at rates far below the general population, leaving them at risk of untreated mental health conditions. This review synthesizes current findings on mental health service utilization among immigrants to inform future research efforts addressing disparities in access to care.
methodsA systematic literature search of seven databases yielded 62 articles that met inclusion criteria: peer-reviewed reports of empirical studies based in the United States with an explicit focus on immigrant mental health service use. Each article was evaluated, and information was extracted by using a structured abstracting form.
resultsStudies have shown that immigrants from Asia, Latin America, and Africa use mental health services at lower rates than nonimmigrants, despite an equal or greater need. Lower usage has been found to be more pronounced among men, the uninsured, and the undocumented. Structural barriers to service use reported included lack of insurance, high cost, and language barriers. Studies have shown that social support is particularly important for immigrants and that those who seek help for mental health concerns tend to turn first to family, friends, or religious leaders.
conclusionsImportant areas for future research on disparities in mental health service use among immigrants include expanding research and analytic design to emphasize understudied groups and the heterogeneity of immigrant experiences over time, studying interventions that foster collaboration between formal and informal service sectors, and examining the role of social support in problem recognition and treatment initiation.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.