Linguistic acculturation and perceptions of quality, access, and discrimination in health care among Latinos in the United States

Soc Work Health Care. 2015;54(2):134-57. doi: 10.1080/00981389.2014.982267.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between acculturation and Latinos' perceptions of health care treatment quality, discrimination, and access to health information. The results of this study indicated that participants who had lower levels of acculturation perceived: 1) greater discrimination in health care treatment; 2) a lower quality of health care treatment; 3) less confidence filling out health related forms; and 4) greater challenges understanding written information about their medical conditions. Participants who identified as immigrants also perceived that their poor quality of medical care was due to their inability to pay and to their race/ethnicity.

Keywords: Latinos; discrimination; health care; health care treatment; immigrants.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acculturation*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Emigrants and Immigrants / psychology*
  • Female
  • Health Services Accessibility*
  • Healthcare Disparities / ethnology*
  • Hispanic or Latino / psychology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Racism / psychology*
  • Residence Characteristics / statistics & numerical data
  • Social Discrimination / psychology*
  • Social Perception
  • United States / ethnology
  • Young Adult