Effects of Latino acculturation and ethnic identity on mental health outcomes

The relationships among client-therapist ethnic match, client age group, client acculturation, ethnic identify, and generation level and their effect on client global assessment of function (GAF), total mental health visits, and costs were examined with a sample of 204 Latino adult and child community mental health clients. Acculturation was measured using the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II), and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) served as the measure of ethnic identity. The adjusted findings indicated that GAF outcomes declined for Anglo-oriented Latino clients who reported low ethnic identity. These results are discussed in light of a Multi-cultural Assessment Intervention Process Model (MAIP) that helps guide service delivery to community mental health consumers.