Race, Education and Positive Perception towards Mental Health Treatments

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between race, education, and positive perception toward mental health treatments. It utilizes the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and analyzes the responses of 93,896 adult respondents from 5 racial groups: American Indians, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites. Results reveal that race influences people’s positive perception towards mental health treatments, and education moderates the association between race and positive perception towards mental health treatments. For effective public mental health education and intervention program developments, future studies should explore public attitudes toward specific types of mental health treatments.