Background
Immigrants and refugees in developed countries, including the United States (US), have a higher prevalence of depression compared to the general population [
1‐
5]. Several explanations have been proposed to account for this observation [
1,
6]. Yet, they are less likely to receive appropriate mental health services and treatment, and when received, these services often do not meet the minimum accepted standards of care in the US [
7‐
9]. Disparities in depression treatment among racial and ethnic minority groups, including immigrant and refugees as a whole, are well documented [
10,
11]. However, less studied is the subset of this population who have limited English proficiency (LEP); a demographic whose population in the US increased by 80 % in the past two decades [
12]. LEP persons include anyone above the age of five who reported speaking English less than “very well”, as classified by the US Census Bureau [
13]. LEP has been associated with health disparities for the treatment of many chronic diseases [
14,
15], and while the use of interpreters for health care interactions mitigates some of these disparities, it does not entirely eliminate them [
16]. Among racial and ethnic minority groups, patients with LEP are at an even higher risk of inadequate mental health services [
17].
Integrated behavioral health and care coordination systems are increasingly being adapted within primary care practices for patients with complex medical and psychosocial needs [
18‐
20]. The collaborative care management (CCM) model for depression is one such multicomponent, health care system-level intervention that uses case managers to link patients seen by their primary care providers with mental health specialists [
21]. This approach has led to higher utilization rates of anti-depressant medications and disease remission, compared to usual care, among both the general population and ethnic/racial minority groups [
22‐
25]. It potentially may even ameliorate disparities in depression management among this group [
26].
A recent systematic review suggested that LEP is associated with underutilization of mental health services [
27]. It is therefore conceivable that the more proactive referral and engagement processes inherent to mental health CCMs, may improve utilization. The effectiveness of these models has also been demonstrated among patients with LEP in the US [
28]. However, we found no published reports describing the degree of participation among patients with LEP in mental health CCM. To ensure that patients with LEP benefit fully from mental health CCMs, understanding their utilization patterns of this model is an important first step towards reducing disparities in mental health outcomes [
29]. The purpose of this study was to assess the utilization of a CCM for depression among patients with LEP in a large primary care practice.
Results
Of the 7561 patients who met criteria for enrollment into the DIAMOND program during the study interval, 3511 were enrolled. Compared to the non-enrolled DIAMOND-eligible patients, those who were enrolled were younger with higher baseline PHQ-9 scores, were more likely to have a college education, be privately insured, and had lower comorbidity scores.
Compared to the DIAMOND-eligible non-IS patients, DIAMOND-eligible IS patients (n = 77) were older, had a higher mean PHQ-9 score, were less likely to have a college education, less likely to have private insurance, and had higher comorbidity scores (Table
1).
Table 1
Patient characteristics by interpreter status
DIAMOND status (%) | | | <.01a
|
Enrolled | 3376 (47.2) | 14 (18.2) | |
Not enrolled | 3780(52.8) | 63 (81.8) | |
Age | | | .01b
|
Median | 40.2 | 47.4 | |
Q1, Q3 | 28.6, 53.7 | 40.1, 56.6 | |
Gender (%) | | | .83a
|
Female | 5008 (70.0) | 61 (79.2) | |
Male | 2148 (30.0) | 16 (20.8) | |
Race (%) | | | <.01a
|
Black | 160 (2.2) | 11 (14.3) | |
White | 6611 (92.4) | 14 (18.2) | |
Other/unknown | 290 (4.1) | 33 (42.9) | |
Asian | 95 (1.3) | 19 (24.7) | |
Ethnicity (%) | | | <.01a
|
Hispanic or Latino | 168 (2.3) | 16 (20.8) | |
Not Hispanic or Latino | 6670 (93.2) | 58 (75.3) | |
Unknown | 318 (4.4) | 3 (3.9) | |
Marital status (%) | | | .52a
|
Divorced/single/widowed | 3481 (48.6) | 24 (31.2) | |
Married/partner | 3613 (50.5) | 53 (68.8) | |
Other/unknown | 62 (0.9) | 0 (0.0) | |
Insurance (%) | | | <.01a
|
Commercial | 4972 (69.5) | 20 (26.0) | |
Medicaid | 909 (12.7) | 41 (53.3) | |
Medicare | 965 (13.5) | 12 (15.6) | |
Self-pay | 250 (3.5) | 3 (3.9) | |
Other/unknown | 60 (0.8) | 1 (1.3) | |
Education (%) | | | <.01a
|
≤High school | 1946 (27.2) | 52 (67.5) | |
Some college≤ | 4847 (67.7) | 14 (18.2) | |
Unknown | 363 (5.1) | 11 (14.3) | |
Charlson score (%) | | | <.01a
|
0 | 3337 (46.6) | 30 (39.0) | |
1 | 1947 (27.2) | 19 (24.7) | |
2 | 783 (11.0) | 14 (18.2) | |
>2 | 1087 (15.2) | 14 (18.2) | |
N/A | 2 | 0 | |
Initial PHQ-9 score | | | .47b
|
Median | 15.0 | 16.0 | |
Q1, Q3 | 12.0, 18.0 | 13.0, 19.0 | |
Only 18.2 % of the eligible IS patients were enrolled into the DIAMOND program compared with the 47.2 % of the eligible non-IS patients (Table
1). Even after an adjustment for the differences in age, marital status, education, insurance status and Charlson score, IS patients were less likely to be enrolled in the DIAMOND program (adjusted OR [95 % confidence interval] = 0.43 [0.23, 0.81]) (Table
2).
Table 2
Association with Enrollment in the DIAMOND Program
Interpreter status |
No | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Yes | 0.25 (0.14, 0.45) | 0.43 (0.23, 0.81) |
Gender |
Male | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Female | 1.33 (1.20, 1.47) | 1.29 (1.15, 1.43) |
Age |
18–28 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
29–40 | 1.25 (1.10, 1.41) | 1.22 (1.05, 1.41) |
41–53 | 1.02 (0.90, 1.16) | 1.03 (0.89, 1.19) |
54–97 | 0.89 (0.78, 1.01) | 1.14 (0.96, 1.35) |
Marital status |
Married/living together | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Widowed/divorced/single | 0.94 (0.86, 1.03) | 1.02 (0.91, 1.13) |
Other | 1.35 (0.83, 2.20) | 1.97 (1.13, 3.44) |
Race |
White | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Black | 0.52 (0.38, 0.72) | 0.66 (0.46, 0.94) |
Asian | 0.85 (0.59, 1.22) | 0.82 (0.55, 1.24) |
Other | 0.61 (0.49, 0.76) | 0.70 (0.54, 0.91) |
Education |
Some college≤ | 1.0 | 1.0 |
≤High school | 0.72 (0.65, 0.80) | 0.87 (0.78, 0.98) |
Insurance |
Commercial | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Medicaid | 0.65 (0.56, 0.75) | 0.71 (0.61, 0.83) |
Medicare | 0.54 (0.47, 0.62) | 0.65 (0.54, 0.78) |
Self-pay | 0.50 (0.37, 0.66) | 0.49 (0.37, 0.67) |
Charlson score |
0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
1 | 0.96 (0.86, 1.08) | 0.97 (0.86, 1.09) |
2 | 0.80 (0.68, 0.93) | 0.84 (0.71, 0.99) |
>2 | 0.61 (0.53, 0.70) | 0.77 (0.64, 0.92) |
Initial PHQ-9 | 1.025 (1.013, 1.036) | 1.035 (1.023, 1.047) |
Discussion
Within a large primary care practice that implemented CCM for depression, eligible IS patients were far less likely to enroll in the program than non-IS patients. This observation particularly warrants attention given that IS patients are more likely to seek and receive mental health services in primary care practices, rather than in specialty clinics [
36,
37], and mental health CCMs embedded in primary care practices have been shown to be highly effective among patients with LEP [
28]. These results suggest that mental health CCMs may run the risk of further widening existing disparities in mental health access and outcomes among these vulnerable populations.
Patients with LEP are heterogeneous in culture, ethnicity, race, and sociodemographic factors [
38], and thus, the reasons underlying low utilization of mental health CCMs are likely multifaceted [
37]. We could not attribute our findings on presence of traditional barriers to health care access and availability as most patients in this study had health insurance, were empanelled to a primary care practice, and were regular utilizers of outpatient clinics. Even after controlling for insurance type and education, IS patients were less likely to enroll. Other sociodemographic factors may be exerting a moderating effect.
Low socioeconomic position is highly correlated with mental health disorders [
39‐
41], and is postulated to be both a cause and effect [
42]. Identified barriers to utilization of mental health services among patients with low socioeconomic position and LEP include lack of transportation, inability to navigate complex health care systems, lack of trust on health care providers, and low health literacy [
43‐
45]. Moreover, health care seeking behaviors among patients with LEP may be influenced by cultural norms, which may not align with mental health paradigms in the US [
46,
47]. Stigma surrounding mental illness among some immigrant and refugee groups may also deter or delay seeking care [
48,
49]. Organizational solutions to promote uptake of CCM services must therefore consider that LEP frequently coexists with low socioeconomic position, low health literacy, and culture-specific norms and values regarding mental health.
The utilization and efficacy of mental health CCMs relies on primary care providers’ awareness and acceptance of the program [
24]. Furthermore, mental health disorders are more likely to manifest as somatic rather than emotive symptoms among immigrant and refugee patients. This leads to potential under-diagnosis by primary care providers and lost opportunities for referral to a CCM [
49,
50]. Patient-provider relationships as well as the quality and experience of the interaction leading to the referral for CCM services, may also affect how much patients engage in the treatment for depression [
51]. Together, these provider factors may contribute to lower referral of patients with LEP to CCM services.
While the CCM can be effective in improving mental health outcomes among patients with LEP, more research is needed to address the barriers to its optimal utilization among these patients. Incorporating elements that have been shown to improve health care access, utilization and outcomes among LEP patients, such as community engagement and incorporating language-congruent community health workers and navigators into CCM teams, may improve the utilization of these CCMs by patients with LEP [
52‐
54]. Capacity building to enhance cultural competency and responsiveness within healthcare systems may help with patient engagement across the care continuum of immigrant and refugee patients and those with LEP [
55].
The study is limited by its retrospective design and reliance on EMRs, though missing data were minimal. The use of IS need as a proxy for LEP is incomplete and represents only a subset of the true LEP patients. Furthermore, the fact that IS status is self-reported by patients at the time of registration may have led to misclassification. In addition, we were not able to verify the proportion of eligible patients who received IS during health care events, but institutional policy dictates that professional interpreters participate in every clinical encounter of patients with LEP. It was also not possible to control for or assess other factors that may have affected the enrollment of patients into the DIAMOND program, such as the quality of the patient-provider interaction and the mode of referral used. Though the small number of IS patients who enrolled in the CCM was an important and primary finding of the study, it precluded our ability to assess the efficacy of the CCM among patients with LEP. Finally, this study was conducted among patients seen at academically based primary care clinics in a single geographic region, with implications for generalizability.
Authors’ contributions
JW, RD, MW, JS and LR conceived the study idea and methodology. DJ and PW led the data analysis. JW and MW led the writing, but all authors contributed to the writing of this manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.