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Depression significantly affects the Latinx community, where numerous obstacles have been identified in scholarly research as barriers that lead to the underutilization of behavioral health services. The lifetime occurrence rate of major depressive disorder (MDD) in the broader Latino population is 10.8%, 8.9% for African Americans, and 7.8% for Caucasians. These rates could be even higher among Spanish-Speaking Latinx (SSL) immigrants. Despite the proven efficacy of behavioral health interventions such as behavioral activation (BA) for treating depression (American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, 2006), these services still tend to be underutilized by SSLs). Telehealth for depression among Latinx people offers a viable solution, supported by a recent article published in Elsevier’s ScienceDirect. The report is summarized below, followed by a proposed treatment plan addressing some of the most common telehealth multicultural and diversity issues for non-Latinx psychotherapists.
Latinx Telehealth for Depression Study
Researchers Segovia and Benuto examined the role of telehealth in treating members of Latinx communities, building on multiple meta-analyses and systematic reviews that have shown the benefits of telehealth. The study involved BA administered to SSL individuals through telehealth.
Methods
The study included 25 adult SSL participants (18 to 58 years old, average age = 41.16, standard deviation = 11.32, with 18 females). They were recruited through direct referrals from primary care clinics, including a clinic specifically serving the Latinx community in a mid-sized city in a western state, between January 2021 and February 2022. A majority of participants (60%) reported their immigration status as undocumented, followed by US citizens (24%) and permanent residents (16%). Their length of residence in the US varied…