Teen Mental Health: Racial & Ethnic Disparities
- Significant racial and ethnic differences exist in how U.S.adolescents access mental health services, a recent study indicates.
- Chan School of Public Health, and fellow researchers analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2022-2023), encompassing 23,541 adolescents aged 12 to 17.The study...
- The findings revealed that among the 5,994 adolescents who reported experiencing a major depressive episode, only 31.7% of non-Hispanic white adolescents received any mental health care.
Explore the critical issue of teen mental health, specifically the racial and ethnic disparities in service use. A new study exposes significant inequities: White adolescents access mental health services at a higher rate than their minority peers. The data, pulled from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2022-2023, further highlights disparities in telehealth use and service accessibility, including prescription medication and outpatient care. News Directory 3 brings this important facts to light, emphasizing the urgent need for improved mental health access, particularly for minority youth. The research underscores systemic barriers, prompting calls for targeted interventions. Discover what’s next in improving teen mental health access.
Racial, Ethnic Disparities Seen in Teen Mental health Services
Updated June 21, 2025
Significant racial and ethnic differences exist in how U.S.adolescents access mental health services, a recent study indicates. The research, published in JAMA Network open, highlights disparities in mental health access and the mental health services received by teenagers across different racial and ethnic groups.
Yanlei Ma, Ph.D.,of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and fellow researchers analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2022-2023), encompassing 23,541 adolescents aged 12 to 17.The study focused on identifying racial and ethnic variations in mental health service utilization.
The findings revealed that among the 5,994 adolescents who reported experiencing a major depressive episode, only 31.7% of non-Hispanic white adolescents received any mental health care. This figure was notably lower for minority groups, ranging from 21.9% for non-Hispanic Black adolescents to 25.6% for Hispanic adolescents.Disparities also emerged in prescription medication use and access to outpatient, school-based, and telemental health services.
Notably, 17% of non-Hispanic white adolescents utilized telemental health, compared to 8.1% of non-Hispanic Asian, Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander adolescents, and 12% of Hispanic adolescents. The study found minimal ethnic differences in the use of mental health services offered through support groups, peer support specialists, recovery coaches, inpatient or residential facilities, or emergency departments.
Ma and the team concluded that the study underscores a critical need to improve mental health access for adolescents from racial and ethnic minority groups. Addressing these disparities is essential for ensuring equitable mental health care.
What’s next
Future research and policy initiatives should focus on targeted interventions to improve mental health service access and utilization among adolescent racial and ethnic minority groups. This includes addressing systemic barriers and cultural factors that contribute to these disparities.