Mexican American and European American Psychopathology and Hospital Course

Demographic information, reason for admission, mental status on admission, hospital course variables, and discharge diagnosis were collected for 99 patients admitted consecutively to the psychiatric inpatient unit of a community mental health center serving a low-income population with a large proportion of Mexican-Americans; Patient ethnic distribution reflected that of the catchment area. Although ethnicity, sex, and social class each showed distinct characteristics, when any two of the factors were held constant, only three variables maintained significance, none of which indicated severe, flamboyant psychopathology. This study does not support earlier reports that hospitalized Mexican Americans are more severely disturbed than other ethnic groups.