While a number of studies have indicated disparities in mental health services use among African-Americans, specific factors that account for within-group disparities have not been thoroughly addressed. Research shows that African-American adolescent males generally are less likely to utilize mental health services and this is especially true among those involved with the juvenile justice system (Hazen, Hough, Landsverk, & Wood, 2004). Previous research indicates that culture is a viable and necessary factor to consider regarding African-Americans' pattern of mental health help-seeking (Cauce et al., 2002). This study utilized a qualitative research design and the Network-Episode Model (NEM) (Pescosolido & Boyer, 1999) as the theoretical framework to examine the influence of culture on the attitudes of African American adolescent males released from juvenile detention facilities to understand their mental health help-seeking. Criterion sampling procedures were utilized to recruit for the study, two groups of African-American adolescent males (n = 54) who initially received services at John Hope Family Renewal Center following their release from juvenile detention. In-depth interviews with participants were conducted and participants' case records were reviewed. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts produced four overarching themes: (1) beliefs about causes of mental health problems, (2) other beliefs about mental health, (3) social barriers - isolation/exclusion, and (4) social network influence on service utilization. Comparisons were made between those youth who used services and those who discontinued service use. Findings revealed that: 1) participants' beliefs about the root causes of mental health problems prevented some from utilizing mental health services, 2) cultural factors partially influenced participants' attitudes and negatively shaped their behaviors towards use of mental health services. Findings also revealed that mental health stigma, ineffective treatment, fear and shame from peers, negative community reaction, and mistrust of mental health providers were important barriers to service utilization. Implications for social work practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

Introducción: Las enfermedades mentales son un padecimiento frecuente en todo el mundo y las personas que las padecen suelen encontrarse bajo estereotipos, estigmatización y desoladoras circunstancias. La estigmatización por parte de los profesionales de la salud hacia las personas con trastornos psiquiátricos es una problemática que no es muy visibilizada, pero está presente tanto a nivel mundial como nacional y que afecta a la inserción, tratamiento y recuperación de estos pacientes, puesto que en su mayoría son etiquetados como agresivos e intimidantes. Objetivos: Determinar la actitud de los estudiantes de medicina humana ante la salud mental en cuatro dimensiones: autoritarismo, benevolencia, restricción social e ideología, según sexo y año de estudio. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio de tipo transversal, descriptivo, no experimental. Se empleó el cuestionario CAMI, determinando la actitud en cuatro dimensiones: Autoritarismo, Benevolencia, Restricción Social e Ideología hacia la comunidad, asociando las variables año de estudio y sexo. Resultados: Se encuestaron 231estudiantes de medicina humana, de los cuales un 69,7%, 70,1%, 68,8% y 60,2% presentaron una actitud favorable en las subescalas de Autoritarismo, Benevolencia, Restricción Social e Ideologías de la salud mental en comunidad respectivamente. Conclusiones: Los estudiantes de medicina mostraron una actitud favorable ante la salud mental, sin embargo, aún hay un porcentaje significativo que presentó una postura desfavorable. No se encontró diferencia significativa en cuanto al sexo ni al año de estudio. / Introduction: Mental illnesses are a common condition throughout the world and people who suffer from them often find themselves under stereotypes, stigmatization and bleak circumstances. Stigmatization by health professionals towards people with psychiatric disorders is a problem that is not highly visible, but is present both globally and nationally and that affects the insertion, treatment and recovery of these patients, since they are mostly labeled as aggressive and intimidating. Objectives: To determine the attitude of medical students towards mental health in four dimensions: authoritarianism, benevolence, social restriction and ideology, according to sex and year of study. Methodology: A cross-sectional, descriptive, non-experimental study was carried out. The CAMI questionnaire was used, determining the attitude in four dimensions: Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restriction and Ideology towards the community, associating the variables year of study and sex. Results: 231 medical students were surveyed, of which 69,7%, 70,1%, 68,8% and 60,2% presented a favorable attitude in the subscales of Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restriction and Ideologies of mental health in the community respectively. Conclusions: Medical students showed a favorable attitude towards mental health, however, there is still a significant percentage that presented an unfavorable attitude. No significant difference was found in terms of sex or year of study.