Economic barriers. Economic disadvantages like a low standard of living, low income, students who need to work to support themselves, dependence on the social welfare system, in long-term unemployment, precarious situations or poverty, being homeless, in debt or with financial problems, etc., may represent a barrier to participate. Barriers may also stem from difficulties to transfer or continue to receive any (economic) support services during the participants time abroad.
Economic barriers. For many African Americans, access to mental health services is often limited by financial resources and the availability of services. Research has identified key economic barriers among this population, which include but are not limited to insufficient monetary resources, lack of adequate insurance coverage or no insurance coverage of any kind, high hourly fees, and location of residence (Xxxxx & Ford, 2004; Xxxxxxxx et al, 2004; Mishra et al, 2009). African Americans have some of the lowest incomes among racial/ethnic groups in the U.S., and due to low socioeconomic status, are often forced to live in poor, inner city communities with few mental health resources (Holden & Xanthos, 2009; Xxxxx & Ford, 2004). Rural communities also often lack of mental health care providers. Thus, African American residents of these resource- poor communities are faced with additional transportation expenses and sometimes extended time off from work in order to obtain mental health services (Xxxxx & Ford, 2004).
