OBJECTIVES : Psychological distress (PD) is a presence of emotional suffering and a non-specific mental health state characterized by the presence of anxiety and depression. AIs may be at increased risk for PD due to cultural barriers, self-reported experiences of discrimination, and stigma related to seeking mental health. However, the state of PD in Asian Indians is not known. The objective of this study is to assess and compare PD in Asian Indian and Non-Hispanic White (NHW) in the US.

METHODS : We used a 2012-2017 data on adult (age > 18 years) NHW and AI (N = 126,835), from National Health Interview Survey, representative data of the non-institutionalized population in the US. PD was measured using the Kessler K6 index, a score of ≥ 5 was considered as moderate-severe psychological distress. Multivariable logistic regression on PD controlled for participants’ demographics, socioeconomic status, access to care, chronic conditions, and health behaviors. All analyses accounted for the complex survey design of the NHIS.

RESULTS : The study comprised 98% NHW and 2% AI; 19.9% of NHW and 11.0% AI reported moderate-severe PD. A higher percentage of the AI population were younger (< 50 years: 74.2% vs. 49.6%), married (77.1% vs. 63.6%), college educated (73.2% vs.34.5%), had high income (≥ 400% FPL: 54.4% vs. 42.9%); had higher rates of physical activity, lower rates of smoking and alcohol use (current drinkers: 44.1% vs 69.9%) compared to NHW. AI were less likely to report PD in both unadjusted (UOR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.43, 0.58) and fully-adjusted models (AOR = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.58, 0.82).

CONCLUSIONS : One in 10 Asian Indians had PD. Compared to NHW, AIs were less likely to experience PD perhaps due to the presence of multiple protective factors such as high income, high education, social support, and physical activity.