Evaluating Patient Acceptability of a Culturally Focused Psychiatric Consultation Intervention for Latino Americans with Depression

Nhi-Ha T. Trinh, Patrick N. Hagan, Katherine Flaherty, Lara N. Traeger, Aya Inamori, Charlotte D. Brill, Katherine Hails, Trina E. Chang, C. Andres Bedoya, Maurizio Fava, Albert Yeung

Significant disparities exist in both access to and quality of mental health care for Latino Americans with depression compared to Caucasians, resulting in a greater burden of disability in this underserved population. Our aim is to evaluate participant acceptability of a Culturally Focused Psychiatric (CFP) consultation program for depressed Latino Americans. Latino American adult primary care patients endorsing depressive symptoms on a screening questionnaire were targeted in their primary care clinic. The intervention addressed participants' depressive symptoms using culturally adapted clinical assessments and toolkits. Acceptability was evaluated using a treatment satisfaction scale and in-depth semi-structured interviews. Overall, 85 % of participants responded positively to all questions of the satisfaction scale. In in-depth interviews, the vast majority of participants reported the program met expectations, all stated providers were culturally sensitive, and most stated recommendations were culturally sensitive. The CFP program was found to be acceptable to a group of depressed Latino American primary care patients. Further research is needed to evaluate if the CFP intervention can improve depressive symptoms and outcomes.