A recent study — the first of its kind to provide an in-depth analysis of Richmond’s Spanish-speaking community since the pandemic — is shedding light on the cultural and linguistic factors that influence mental health and wellness.
Researchers presented their findings during a town hall Tuesday at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Latino population in Greater Richmond has grown by 167% since 2010 — from just over 35,000 residents to nearly 95,000 — according to Oswaldo Moreno, director of VCU’s La Esperanza Research Collaborative. La Esperanza (Spanish for hope) studies health and health care disparities, particularly in Spanish-speaking communities.
Moreno said that growth, combined with the pandemic’s impact, highlighted the urgent mental health needs of the Latino community. The challenges: migration as well as limited access to tailored and culturally sensitive services.
Moreno and his team worked with Cecilia Barbosa, of cBe Consulting, on the study which was conducted in three phases to explore experiences and challenges impacting overall health care access among Spanish-speaking communities:
- a secondary data analysis
- a cross-sectional community study
- a focus group with health care providers and leaders
Key findings
“A Behavioral Health Needs Assessment of Spanish Speaking Latinos in Richmond City, Chesterfield County and Henrico County, Virginia” surveyed 158 Latinos who were not born in the United States.
According to the study, half of the participants reported that their health was either “excellent” or “very good.” However, 20% of the participants reported depression and a similar percentage reported anxiety. Nearly half reported at least one traumatic event.
Barbosa said the survey revealed a disproportionate trend of underreporting behavioral health issues within the region’s Latino community.
A little over one-third of survey participants reported low to moderate levels of drug abuse. According to the study, alcohol use is “significantly associated” with less positive attitudes toward professional mental health services.
Nearly 70% of the participants reported no history of seeking mental health services. Researchers found that lack of health care coverage, logistical challenges (like transportation and hours of operation), cultural stigma and lack of culturally competent care all acted as barriers to mental health treatment for the Latino community in Greater Richmond.
“This underscores a significant barrier to accessing mental health care due to low rates of insurance coverage for behavioral health services and not knowing whether or not their insurance coverage covers the overall behavioral health,” Moreno said.
The study did not focus directly on youth, but researchers pointed to striking findings from the Virginia Department of Health’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. That survey found that 50% of Hispanic female high school students experienced feeling sad or hopeless for two weeks or more in the previous 12 months, and 20% of Hispanic female high school students reported suicidal ideation.
“You cannot separate from overall health without a sound mind, a healthy mind, it affects you physically,” said Aida Pacheco, former chair of the Virginia Latino Advisory Board. It was “striking to me,” she said, “to see it charted like that — the profound numbers, the correlation with substance abuse and mental health, that was like, really high.”
One of the most pressing issues identified in the study was the shortage of bilingual and bicultural mental health providers.
Researchers presented several recommendations to mitigate barriers to mental health care, including expanding opportunities for behavioral health professionals with prior international training and an increased focus on language and cultural competency.
Future steps
Del. Rodney Willett (D–Henrico), chair of the state’s Joint Commission on Health Care, called the study “remarkable,” saying that it’s “amazing” to get this level of focus on the local community and the Latino community within.
Willett told VPM News this issue is personal to him, having seen his own family members travel across the state to access behavioral health providers.
“Behavioral health issues affect all communities, but we're seeing specific impacts on the Latino communities in our areas,” Willett said. “I think the most significant thing we heard today is the lack of access to providers, and that's providers at all levels, but obviously, specifically the behavioral health providers.”
Community leaders and health care workers at the town hall expressed worry that in the meantime, fears about immigration enforcement are exacerbating the existing problem.
“This is an evolving issue, and now the concern that's being raised is the heightened bubble of stress and fear and concern amongst members within the Latino community about accessing healthcare on an ongoing basis, given all of the things that are happening today,” said Sheryl Garland, executive director of VCU’s Office of Health Equity. ”The big question is: How fearful are people when it comes to accessing care?”
Garland said that the concerns being raised within the health care community are tied to questions about how many people will forgo necessary care due to fear of immigration enforcement.
That fear “then turns into stress, which can be internalized, which will heighten the need for all the things that have been outlined,” Garland said. “If there was ever a need to think about addressing these issues and getting in front of them, it's now.”
The full study will be released in the coming weeks.
