Understanding Existing Mental Health Disparities Within Latinx Students and Its Intersection With COVID-19

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Continuing to Heal, Support, and Shape Academic Lives Impacted by the Pandemic and Natural Disasters

Abstract

The study explores Latinx students' barriers and facilitators to accessing mental health resources, cultural perceptions of mental health, and impact of COVID-19. Student interviews were analyzed from a psychosociocultural (PSC) framework to understand the barriers and facilitators towards the utilization of mental health resources within an R1 institution. Family validation is a significant cultural barrier towards latinx students' access to mental health resources, and perceptions towards mental health. Latinx students' intersectional identities matter when seeking support spaces. Lastly, COVID-19 has impacted Latinx students educational experiences, financial security, and exacerbated mental health issues. Project implication includes recommendations for additional support from higher education institutions to support Latinx students' educational experiences to address disparities in mental health and educational equity.

Authors

• Julio J. Mena Bernal, University of Texas at Austin

• Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, University of California - Los Angeles