CLOSE MENU
A population-based study published in Social Science & Medicine examined serious psychological distress, unmet treatment needs, and help-seeking among Asian American adults in NYC.
Led by Dr. Thinh Toan Vu at the NYC Department of Health with CUNY SPH Professor Victoria Khanh Ngo, the study draws on data from the 2023 Neighborhood Wellness Survey and includes a representative sample of 6,648 Asian American adults across the five boroughs.
Overall, 7.4% of Asian American adults reported experiencing serious psychological distress in the past 30 days. Among them, 37.2% exhibited unmet mental health treatment needs, including counseling or medication. While 64.2% of respondents with serious psychological distress sought some kind of help, many relied on informal sources, such as family and friends, rather than formal mental health services.
“This is the largest study to date focusing on Asian American communities in NYC, a population that has been underrepresented in public health research despite being the fastest-growing demographic groups in the city,” says Dr. Vu, a CUNY SPH doctoral graduate. “By documenting these patterns, the study lays the groundwork for more targeted efforts, and ongoing work is already beginning to disaggregate the data to better capture the diversity within Asian communities. At the same time, our findings highlight the importance of integrating informal support networks into accessible, culturally responsive mental health care systems.”
The study also identified structural and social factors associated with poorer mental health outcomes. Experiences of racial and ethnic discrimination and social isolation were strongly linked to higher levels of serious psychological distress, unmet treatment needs, and mental health seeking. Financial strain was associated with higher odds of psychological distress, and police stop-and-search experiences were linked to greater unmet need. Individuals with intimate partner violence were more likely to report both higher distress and help-seeking.
Participants cited several key barriers to accessing mental health care, including self-reliance without treatment (51%), treatment cost (46%), and lack of awareness about available services (42%). These findings suggest that stigma, affordability challenges, and limited mental health literacy continue to shape mental health care access among Asian American communities.
“Asian Americans account for 3.4% of psychologists in New York State, while they make up 17% of the population in NYC only,” says Dr. Vu. “This gap underscores the need to expand culturally and linguistically responsive mental health services so that care better reflects the communities it is meant to serve.”
The 2023 Neighborhood Wellness Survey is a collaboration between NYC Department of Health and CUNY SPH. Strengthening partnerships between academic institutions and public health agencies are key to advancing equity in mental health care.
