Debilitating mental illness is treatable if found. There is no validated self-administered mental illness evaluation tool for immigrant Hispanic farm workers with variable literacy levels. This study tested sensitivity and specificity of an audiotaped survey developed for low literacy levels compared with standard interview instruments. Subjects from 11 migrant camps completed a self-administered audiotaped survey in Spanish to diagnose major depression, substance abuse, panic and generalized anxiety, and domestic violence. Primary care clinics assisted in finding camps and provided follow-up treatment. For 154 men and 156 women, the audio tool was most sensitive for major depression and specific for anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence. Seventy percent of those diagnosed with major depression received appropriate treatment. This study validated an inexpensive, self-administered audio tool to evaluate the mental health of immigrant Hispanic farm workers with a wide range of literacy levels. © Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2005.

Low literacy levels Audiotape Hispanic farm workers Mental health tool domestic violence Depression migrant farm workers Anxiety

medical assessment immigrant educational status anxiety disorder compensation agricultural worker mental health human follow up language ability validation process diagnostic accuracy priority journal Depressive Disorder alcoholism Anxiety Disorders intermethod comparison panic tape recorder Mental Disorders interview mental disease United States social status Humans Hispanic diagnostic value Domestic Violence male female questionnaire self concept learning test sensitivity and specificity Article major clinical study adult Emigration and Immigration Evaluation Studies major depression mental capacity Multilingualism Tape Recording Mexican Americans health survey