UCI study outlines woes of Vietnamese Americans

Vietnamese Americans may be in more need of mental health care than non-Hispanic whites, but they are less likely to seek help, according to a UCI study.

The study focused on Vietnamese Americans older than 55, many of whom immigrated to the U.S. as political refugees. According to the study, which was reported in the California Health Survey, Vietnamese Americans were twice as likely as whites to say they needed mental health care but often would not discuss these issues with their doctor. The study was part of an analysis of state data done by the UCI Center for Health Care Policy.

The knowledge points to a need for improved community mental-health services as well as revealing mental-health issues among older Vietnamese who may have been afflicted due to the Vietnam War, according to the study’s leader, Dr. Quyen Ngo-Metzger.

Most of the nation’s Vietnamese population resides in California, and 20% of that population can be found in the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County area, according to U.S. Census data.

— Daniel Tedford