Professional Service Use for a Serious Personal Problem: Comparing Older African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and Non-Hispanic Whites Using the National Survey of American Life.

Objectives: Examines combinations of professionals visited for a serious personal problem.

Method: The sample includes those aged 55 and above (N = 862) from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Latent class analysis was used to identify groups of respondents based on types of professionals visited. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with group membership.

Results: Classes included health provider plus clergy, physician plus mental health provider, and limited provider use. Whites were more likely than African Americans to fall into the health provider plus clergy and physician plus mental health provider classes. Those with physical and emotional problems were more likely to be in the health provider plus clergy and physician plus mental health provider classes, respectively.

Discussion: Most respondents were in the limited provider use class suggesting that for many problems, minimal professional help is utilized. Physicians and clergy were important across all three classes.