Prevalence and Predictors of Medical Mistrust Among African Americans with Serious Mental Illness Receiving Care in an Urban Setting

Patients with serious mental illness are reported to have a 10–25 year reduction in life expectancy. Medical mistrust may influence their willingness to seek care (Bynum, S. A., Davis, J. L., Green, B. L., & Katz, R. V. (2012). Unwillingness to participate in colorectal cancer screening: Examining fears, attitudes, and medical mistrust in an ethnically diverse sample of adults 50 years and older. American Journal of Health Promotion : Ajhp, 26(5), 295–300. https://doi.org/10.4278/ajhp.110113-QUAN-20). This cross-sectional study used baseline data from a SAMHSA funded demonstration project to describe the prevalence and of medical mistrust among a sample of African American adults with serious mental illness. Medical mistrust was identified using the Medical Mistrust Scale. One hundred and fifty-four participants completed the medical mistrust scale. Approximately, a third (34.4%) reported medical mistrust. After adjusting for financial stability, those endorsing medical mistrust reported nearly 3 times the odds of lacking support (AOR [95% CI]: 2.84 [1.01–7.97]) compared to those not endorsing medical mistrust. The study is among the first to describe elevated rates of medical mistrust among a sample of African Americans people with serious mental illness. An association between medical mistrust and lack of social support was demonstrated.