Anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in United States African-American public housing residents

Background African-Americans experience considerable mental healthcare disparities in the United States, but little is known about sensitive subgroups within this population. To better understand healthcare disparities within African- Americans communities, we characterized anxiety, mood, and substance use disorder prevalence and associated service utilization among public and non-public housing residents. Methods We used data from a nationally representative sample of African-Americans recruited as part of the National Survey of American Life. Results In public housing residents, the 12-month prevalence of anxiety disorders was 1.8 times higher than in non-public housing residents (P = 0.002), mood disorders was 1.4 times higher (P = 0.189), and substance use disorders was 2.2 times higher (P = 0.031). Public housing remained associated with mental illness after controlling for sociodemographics and chronic illness. Public and nonpublic housing residents did not differ significantly in mental healthcare utilization, but utilization was low with 16–30% of public housing residents with a 12-month disorder receiving mental health assistance. Conclusions A relatively high proportion of African- American public housing residents suffered from psychiatric disorders, and few received mental healthcare assistance, indicating that further work is needed to enhance utilization