Culturally responsive research on why caregivers skip mental health benefits
SEIU 775 Benefits Group
PRR evaluated existing research, messaging, and industry best practices before conducting 47 multilingual interviews to understand barriers and motivators for seeking mental health support. The study delivered culturally sensitive, actionable recommendations to help the Services Employees International Union 775 Benefits Group (SEIU-BG) improve communication and increase use of behavioral health services among their members, in-home health caregivers.
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The Situation
Caregivers faced barriers to accessing critical mental health support
Services Employees International Union 775's membership base, in-home health caregivers, were not fully utilizing available mental health benefits. This mattered because caregivers experienced high levels of stress and emotional strain, making access to effective behavioral health support essential for their well-being and ability to provide quality care.
The Opportunity
Culture-informed, data-driven: using research to tailor mental health messaging
PRR's research revealed that SEIU 775 members faced significant barriers to accessing offered mental health benefits, including stigma, lack of awareness, and messaging that did not resonate across diverse language and cultural groups. By combining a review of existing research and campaigns with in-depth, multilingual caregiver interviews, PRR developed an insight-driven strategy to better align behavioral health messaging with caregivers' real experiences, cultural contexts, and preferences. This approach focused on identifying barriers, amplifying motivators, and crafting culturally responsive, audience-centered messaging to more effectively connect caregivers to available mental health benefits.
Results
Insights Drove More Inclusive, Effective Communication Around Benefits
PRR delivered clear, actionable recommendations that SEIU-BG could use to improve how mental health benefits were communicated to caregivers. By identifying key barriers, motivators, and culturally relevant messaging approaches, PRR's work enabled more effective outreach across diverse language groups. These insights positioned SEIU-BG to increase awareness, reduce stigma, tailor digital tools, and ultimately boost utilization of behavioral health services among union members.
