Prof's study a landmark in field

At the World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Aguilar-Gaxiola discusses computerized versions of mental health instruments for worldwide use with T. Bedirhan Üstün, M.D., chief of the Epidemiology Classification and Assessment Unit, and Can Celik, programmer analyst.

Cultural traditions, family intactness, and a strong family support network seem to keep a person mentally healthy - according to Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, professor of psychology and doctor of medicine.

And the doctor should know, since he just completed the largest mental health study in the United States ever conducted among people of Mexican descent. The Mexican Americans Prevalence and Services Survey (MAPSS) has been a four-year, multi-collaborative research project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

As the on-site principal investigator and project director of the nearly $2.5 million research project, Aguilar-Gaxiola has been heralded by colleagues worldwide for his landmark contributions to research on mental health, especially with minority populations.

The data and the methodology of the Fresno County-based study are currently being used as a model for mental health research and for practical application with mental health organizations and agencies throughout the world.

"This [MAPSS] project is the largest ever conducted on this subject population and represents the gold standard for methodology, thoroughness, and sensitivity to the population under study," said Dr. Thomas Breen, a colleague of Aguilar-Gaxiola and professor of psychology.

Breen also said that the study is playing a major role in cross-cultural research and the data base is being used in landmark cross-national comparison studies as a part of an international data base that is one of the largest in the world.

"One of the most significant aspects observed from the study was that rates of major psychiatric disorders are about 25 percent lower among Mexican Americans than among other Americans," said Aguilar-Gaxiola.

Aguilar-Gaxiola said that when he compared immigrants that resided less than 13 years in the United States with those staying more than 13 years, he found that the risk of mental health problems increased dramatically, especially for alcohol and drug abuse or dependency.

"The longer an immigrant of Mexican descent stays in the United States, the more likely he will have some type of mental health problem," stated Aguilar-Gaxiola. "The data indicates that a strong family support system, cultural traditions, and good nutrition may contribute to a person's mental health."

Now Aguilar-Gaxiola plans to use his research data to address mental health needs throughout the Valley and nation.

The MAPSS is the most comprehensive data base on urban and rural mental health needs and services patterns, and provides an unparalleled opportunity for developing a needs assessment model and policy document suitable for guiding program development.

Aguilar-Gaxiola has scheduled a round table later this month with public officials, health agency representatives and community leaders to discuss a rational distribution of resources based on a multilevel evaluation of current services, the types of services needed and the location and program models that could deliver services to this population.

Aguilar-Gaxiola also is leading the establishment of the World Health Organization Training and Reference Center in Fresno, only the third of its kind in the nation. The center will provide access to the data base through Aguilar-Gaxiola and his colleagues and will serve as a resource for future research.

"There has never been this type of information before to show [mental health agencies] what services are needed and how to best serve those people with mental health concerns and disorders," said Aguilar-Gaxiola.

The results of this study represent the best general community estimates available to date nationwide regarding prevalence rates of 15 specific mental disorders and patterns of mental health services utilization by Mexican Americans.

Aguilar-Gaxiola said that the study has major implications for understanding the distribution of mental disorders and the use of mental health services by Mexican Americans in the Fresno County community and this population group at large.

The MAPSS project is a joint venture between the University of California, Berkeley and California State University, Fresno and co-investigators, consultants, and faculty/researchers from San Diego State University, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Michigan and Harvard University.