Mental health service use among trauma-exposed adults: a mixed-methods study

Research findings indicate that many urban trauma-exposed individuals do not access needed mental health care; therefore, it is critical to identify factors associated with the use of mental health services for this group. This study used a mixed-methods approach to examine predictors of mental health service use and barriers to care. Quantitative findings showed that significantly more adults who were male and black with a lower education and income did not report current mental health service use. After controlling for covariates, individuals with lower trauma exposure (odds ratio [OR], 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-0.9) and higher depression symptom scores (OR, 1.0; 95% CI, 1.0-1.1) were significantly more likely to report current mental health service use. Qualitative findings indicated that fear, low mental health literacy, helplessness, and psychosocial issues were identified as barriers to mental health treatment. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.