Resumen
Stigma towards mental health concerns can have a more negative impact on a person's well-being than the actual symptoms of their condition. Stigma acts as a significant barrier to accessing mental health services, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities. However, existing research often fails to recognize the cultural differences within these minority groups, such as Latino communities, and more studies are needed to understand and address the specific nuances of stigma within diverse cultural groups to reduce the mental healthcare gap among Latinos. This presentation will share findings from a study that examined the influence of cultural context on social distance and perceptions of stigma towards mental health conditions among Latino populations in Houston, TX, USA and Mexico City, Mexico. Utilizing a community-based vignette survey, we assessed 513 participants' perceptions of individuals demonstrating symptoms of alcohol misuse, depression, and psychosis, focusing on public acceptance, perceived stigma, anticipated threat, potential positive outcomes, and the capacity to change. The outcomes revealed a marked contrast in stigma perceptions between Latino respondents in the USA and Mexico, with those in Houston manifesting lower public stigma and perceived danger associated with mental health conditions than Mexico City's respondents. Notably, the cultural environment appeared to shape the relationship between various dimensions of stigma, leading to some inverse correlations depending on the location of participants. These results highlight the intricate relationship between cultural context, mental health symptoms, and stigma, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive interventions to mitigate mental health stigma and encourage service utilization within Latino communities.\
Palabras Clave (separar con comas)
mental health, stigma, Latino, cultural context