Mental Health Treatment Involvement and Religious Coping among African American, Hispanic, and White Veterans of the Wars of Iraq and Afghanistan

2011

Mental Health Treatment Involvement and Religious Coping among Veterans

Sample size: 148 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): David S. Greenawalt, Tsan Jack Y., Kimbrel Nathan A., Meyer Eric C., Kruse Marc I., Tharp David F., Gulliver Suzy Bird, Morissette Sandra B.

Primary Institution: VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs

Hypothesis

Do racial/ethnic differences affect the use of mental health services among Veterans?

Conclusion

The study found no significant racial/ethnic differences in the use of mental health services among Veterans, but African American Veterans reported higher levels of religious coping.

Supporting Evidence

Women Veterans were more likely than men to seek secular treatment.
Depression symptom level was a significant predictor of psychotherapy attendance.
African American Veterans reported higher levels of religious coping than whites.
Religious coping was associated with participation in religious counseling.

Takeaway

This study looked at how different races of Veterans use mental health services and found that they use them similarly, but African Americans tend to rely more on their faith.

Methodology

The study used secondary data analysis from a longitudinal study of OEF/OIF Veterans, focusing on their mental health service utilization and religious coping.