Mental health need and difficulty getting help among 1.5- and second-generation Southeast Asian immigrant adolescents in New Zealand

Purpose Unmet mental health need is increasing across the Asian immigrant adolescent populations internationally and in New Zealand (NZ). Southeast Asian (SEA) immigrants are a growing population in New Zealand. This paper aims to determine whether the mental health needs and access to healthcare of 1.5- and second-generation SEA immigrant adolescents differ from those of Europeans in NZ. Design/methodology/approach Analysis of secondary data from a representative survey of NZ adolescents (Youth19) was conducted. Measures assessed included significant depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, suicide ideation, difficulty getting help for emotional concerns (as a measure of healthcare access) and reasons for not accessing healthcare when having a hard time. Findings A total of 2,166 participants, SEA immigrants (n = 185) and reference groups: European immigrants (n = 326) and European non-immigrants (n = 1,655) were included. SEA immigrants were more likely than European non-immigrants to report significant depressive symptoms (OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.12–2.09), anxiety (OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.11–2.09), serious thoughts about suicide (OR = 2.11, 95%CI = 1.55–1.87) and difficulty getting help for emotional concerns (OR = 1.55, 95%CI = 1.08–2.23) after adjusting for age, gender and area-based socioeconomic deprivation. Originality/value This study highlights high mental health need for SEA immigrant adolescents in NZ, a population group not widely represented in literature. Despite high mental health need, low utilisation of mental health services indicates needs are currently not being met. Further research is needed to explore the kinds of effective support needed to ensure this important and growing population group receive equitable access to health services.