Eunice C. Wong

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in clinical psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; B.A. in psychology, Barnard College, Columbia University

One Page Bio

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Eunice C. Wong is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. Her research broadly focuses on mental health disparities and mental health services in community and military settings. Much of her research has involved trauma-exposed populations and underserved communities. Wong earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Delivering Church-based Interventions to Reduce Stigma and Mental Health Treatment Disparities among Latinos
Psychological Health Treatment Needs and Outcomes of Minority Service Groups in the Department of Defense
Confidentiality of Military Mental Health Services
Prospective Study of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Chronic Pain and Pain Burden
Influence of a Landmark Stigma Reduction Initiative on Mental Illness Treatment-Seeking

Selected Publications

Wong E.C., Collins R.L., Breslau, J., Burnam, M.A., Cefalu, M., & Roth, E.A. , "Differential association of stigma with perceived need and mental health service use," J Nerv Ment Dis, 206, 2018

Wong E.C., Fulton, B.R., & Derose, K.P., "Prevalence and predictors of mental health programming among U.S. religious congregations," Psychiatric Services, 69, 2018

Wong, E.C., Derose, K.P., Litt, P., Miles, J.N.V., "Sources of Care for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems: The Role of the African American Church," J Relig Health, 57, 2017

Wong, E.C., Collins, R.L., Cerully, J.L., Seelam, R. & Roth, E., , "Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges," RAND Health Quarterly, 6, 2017

Wong, Eunice C., Rebecca L. Collins, Jennifer L. Cerully, Elizabeth Roth, and Joyce S. Marks, Stigma, Discrimination, and Well-Being Among California Adults Experiencing Mental Health Challenges, RAND Corporation (RR-1074-CMHSA), 2015

Wong, Eunice C., Rebecca L. Collins, and Jennifer L. Cerully, Reviewing the Evidence Base for Mental Health First Aid: Is There Support for Its Use with Key Target Populations in California?RAND Corporation (RR-972-CMHSA), 2015

Wong, E.C., Schell, T.L., Jaycox, L.H., Marshall, G.N., Tanielian, T., & Miles, J.N.V. , "Mental Health Treatment Experiences of U.S. Service Members Previously Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan," Psychiatric Services, 64, 2013

Wong E.C., Kennedy, D., Gaillot, S. & Marshall G.N. , "Making sense of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Illness perceptions among traumatic injury survivors," Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 3, 2011

Publications

Journal Article
Predictors of Long-Term Opioid Use Following Hospitalization for Traumatic Injury in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study
Long-term prescription opioid use can lead to poor health outcomes. This study identifies predictors of long-term prescription opioid use among racially and ethnically diverse patients hospitalized for traumatic injury.
Sep 29, 2022
Journal Article
Military Service Branch Differences in Alcohol Use, Tobacco Use, Prescription Drug Misuse, and Mental Health Conditions
Using data from the 2015 Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey, we estimated service branch-specific prevalences of substance use and mental health outcomes.
Jun 21, 2022
Journal Article
Methods for Identifying Health Research Gaps, Needs, and Priorities: A Scoping Review
The purpose of this review is to characterize methods conducted or supported by research funding organizations to identify health research gaps, needs, or priorities.
Nov 10, 2021
Report
Methods for Identifying Health Research Gaps, Needs, and Priorities: A Scoping Review
This scoping review provides a roadmap of methods used for identifying health research gaps, establishing research needs, and determining research priorities.
Nov 8, 2021
Journal Article
Racial/ethnic Differences in Prescription Opioid Misuse and Heroin Use Among a National Sample, 1999–2018
We compared relative prevalences across 6 racial/ethnic groups for prescription opioid misuse analyses and 4 racial/ethnic groups for heroin analyses.
Feb 19, 2021
Journal Article
Co-occurring Alcohol and Mental Health Problems in the Military: Prevalence, Disparities, and Service Utilization
This study examined the prevalence of co-occurring alcohol and mental health (MH) problems, perceived MH service need, and MH service utilization among active duty service members.
2021
Report
The Behavioral Health of Minority Active Duty Service Members
The authors describe the behavioral health of racial/ethnic minority, women, and sexual-minority service members relative to their majority-group peers and examine minority–majority group differences in the military versus civilian populations.
Dec 17, 2020
Journal Article
Distress, Impairment, and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Perceived Need for Mental Health Treatment in a Nationally Representative Sample
Differences in perceived need across racial/ethnic groups are not attributable to differences in psychological distress and impairment.
Dec 16, 2020
Journal Article
Mental Health Services and Personal Recovery in California: A Population-Based Analysis
This observational study examined personal recovery in a representative sample of adults in California with elevated psychological distress.
May 12, 2020
Report
Cross-Agency Evaluation of DoD, VA, and HHS Mental Health Public Awareness Campaigns: Analysis of Campaign Scope, Content, and Reach
This report evaluates efforts by four public awareness campaigns to overcome negative perceptions and promote awareness of mental health disorders and their treatment, with a focus on military and veteran populations.
Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief
Evaluating Public Awareness Campaigns to Promote Military and Veteran Mental Health
This brief describes the results of an interim evaluation that examined the scope, content, and dissemination of mental health public awareness campaigns. RAND researchers conducted a comprehensive evaluation of four such efforts.
Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief
Make the Connection: Findings and Recommendations
This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from the Make the Connection.
Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief
Real Warriors Campaign: Findings and Recommendations
This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from the Real Warrior Campaign.
Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief
Recovery Month: Findings and Recommendations
This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from Recovery Month.
Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief
Veterans Crisis Line: Findings and Recommendations
This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from the Veterans Crisis Line.
Jan 29, 2020
Journal Article
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile Messaging Program Within a Church-Based Healthy Living Intervention for African Americans and Latinos
This study explores the feasibility of using text messaging to send healthy eating and active living messages to congregants from churches whose membership were predominantly AA or Latino that participated in an intervention to address obesity.
Oct 15, 2019
Journal Article
Social Marketing of Mental Health Treatment: California's Mental Illness Stigma Reduction Campaign
The California campaign increased service use by leading more individuals to interpret symptoms of distress as indicating a need for treatment.
Oct 10, 2019
Journal Article
Eat, Pray, Move: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Multilevel Church-Based Intervention to Address Obesity Among African Americans and Latinos
Implementing a multilevel intervention across diverse congregations resulted in small improvements in obesity outcomes. A longer time line is needed to fully implement and assess effects of community and congregation environmental strategies and to allow for potential larger impacts of the intervention.
2019
Journal Article
Differential Association of Stigma with Perceived Need and Mental Health Service Use
Two stages of the help-seeking process - perceiving a need for mental health treatment and treatment use - are related to different facets of stigma.
Jun 13, 2018
Journal Article
Differential Response to Contact-based Stigma Reduction Programs: Perceived Quality and Personal Experience Matter
Contact-based mental illness stigma-reduction programs -- in which patients interact socially with a person who has a mental illness - were more effective for those without a prior personal or family history of mental illness.
2018
Journal Article
Prevalence and Predictors of Mental Health Programming Among U.S. Religious Congregations
Nearly one in four U.S. religious congregations provide some type of programming to support people with mental illness.
Sep 20, 2017
Journal Article
Sources of Care for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems: The Role of the African American Church
Many Los Angeles-area African American churches provide recovery supports and services for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and actively connect individuals to formal AOD treatment.
Jun 6, 2017
Journal Article
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Perception of Need for Mental Health Treatment in a US National Sample
There racial/ethnic differences in perception of need for mental health treatment; differences exist across the range of severity of mental illness and among those with no mental illness.
May 31, 2017
Report
Improving Oversight and Coordination of Department of Defense Programs That Address Problematic Behaviors Among Military Personnel: Final Report
This report makes recommendations for the Office of the Secretary of Defense to better understand the relationships among six problematic behaviors and its oversight and coordination of programs to address those behaviors.
Jan 25, 2017
Journal Article
Effects of Contact-Based Mental Illness Stigma Reduction Programs: Age, Gender, and Asian, Latino, and White American Differences
Interventions that incorporate contact with people who have experienced a mental health illness can reduce stigma associated with mental illness, especially among young adults and racial/ethnic minorities.
2017
Journal Article
The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the Depression Care of African Americans and Hispanics in Los Angeles
Compared with non-Hispanic whites and US-born Hispanics, a larger proportion of African Americans and Hispanics used depression care provided by community faith-based organizations.
2017
Report
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges
Reports racial and ethnic differences on the California Well-Being Survey, a surveillance tool that tracks mental illness stigma and discrimination among a sample of California adults experiencing psychological distress.
May 10, 2016
Report
Investment in Social Marketing Campaign to Reduce Stigma and Discrimination Associated with Mental Illness Yields Positive Economic Benefits to California
This report examines the potential impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's stigma and discrimination reduction social marketing campaign on the use of adult behavioral health services, and it estimates the benefit-cost ratios.
Apr 14, 2016
Journal Article
Impact of Collaborative Care for Underserved Patients with PTSD in Primary Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial
We compared the effectiveness of minimally enhanced usual care (MEU) versus collaborative care for PTSD with a care manager (PCM).
Feb 18, 2016
Journal Article
Validation of a Brief PTSD Screener for Underserved Patients in Federally Qualified Health Centers
This study aims to validate the reliability and efficiency of alternative cutoff values on the abbreviated six-item Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL-6) [1] for underserved, largely minority patients in primary care settings of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Jan 15, 2016
Journal Article
Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Cambodian Refugees
The authors sought to determine rates of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia in Cambodian refugees, and to assess the proportion whose conditions are satisfactorily managed in comparison to the general population.
2016
Report
Effects of Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Trainings Conducted Under the California Mental Health Services Authority: An Evaluation of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Adult Programs
This report evaluated three National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) programs aimed at reducing mental illness stigma and discrimination among adult audiences.
Dec 18, 2015
Report
Effects of the Integrated Behavioral Health Project's Efforts to Promote Integrated Care Under Funding from the California Mental Health Services Authority
Describes the methods and results of a RAND evaluation of the Integrated Behavioral Health Project's efforts to promote the integration of mental and physical health care among various health care stakeholders in California.
Oct 27, 2015
Report
Effects of Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Programs Conducted Under the California Mental Health Services Authority: An Evaluation of Runyon Saltzman Einhorn, Inc., Documentary Screening Events
Describes the methods and results of a RAND evaluation of stigma and discrimination reduction efforts by Runyon Saltzman Einhorn, Inc., involving screenings of a documentary film called "A New State of Mind: Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness."
Oct 27, 2015
Research Brief
California's Statewide Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Initiatives Show Promising Early Results, But Sustained Investment Is Needed
Summarizes findings from an evaluation of a set of California initiatives to help reduce mental health stigma and discrimination, prevent suicide, and improve student mental health.
Sep 16, 2015
Report
The Mental Health Association of San Francisco Partner Organizations Meet Their Goals in Stigma Reduction Efforts: Results of a Qualitative Evaluation of the Technical Assistance Process
This report describes the results of RAND's evaluation of the San Francisco-based Center for Dignity, Recovery, and Empowerment's technical assistance program for stigma-reduction programs through interviews with community-partner participants.
Sep 14, 2015
Report
Effects of Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Trainings Conducted Under the California Mental Health Services Authority: An Evaluation of NAMI's Ending the Silence
This paper evaluates the short-term outcomes of students attending the National Alliance on Mental Illness' Ending the Silence presentations, delivered across three high schools in a Northern California school district.
Sep 14, 2015
Report
CalMHSA Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Online Resources: Highlights from an Evaluation of Web Analytic Data
Reports on an evaluation of online resources developed by the California Mental Health Services Authority's stigma and discrimination reduction initiative program partners and provides an overview of these resources and the use of partner websites.
Aug 17, 2015
Report
Effects of Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Trainings Conducted Under the California Mental Health Services Authority: An Evaluation of Disability Rights California and Mental Health America of California Trainings
Describes the methods and results of a RAND evaluation of stigma and discrimination reduction trainings delivered by two program partners, Disability Rights California and Mental Health America of California.
Aug 10, 2015
Journal Article
Characterizing the Mental Health Care of U.S.Cambodian Refugees
This study examined U.S. Cambodian refugees' utilization of mental health services across provider types, levels of minimally adequate care, and mode of communication with providers.
Jun 1, 2015
Report
Changes in Mental Illness Stigma in California During the Statewide Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Initiative
Presents results of a one-year follow-up to the 2014 California Statewide Survey, which was developed to track attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to mental illness. This report focuses on items measuring stigma.
May 18, 2015
Report
Evaluating the Implementation of the Re-Engineering Systems of Primary Care Treatment in the Military (RESPECT-Mil)
This report evaluates the implementation of the Re-Engineering Systems of Primary Care Treatment in the Military (RESPECT-Mil) Program, which screens, assesses, and treats PTSD and depression among active duty service members in Army primary care.
Apr 23, 2015
Report
Stigma, Discrimination, and Well-Being Among California Adults Experiencing Mental Health Challenges
Presents results of the 2014 California Well-Being Survey, which tracks mental illness stigma and discrimination, well-being, and exposure to prevention and early intervention activities among Californians experiencing psychological distress.
Apr 23, 2015
Report
Reviewing the Evidence Base for Mental Health First Aid: Is There Support for Its Use with Key Target Populations in California?
This report reviews the current state of evidence for Mental Health First Aid's effectiveness in key target populations, to help the California Mental Health Services Authority's planning for future prevention and early intervention activities.
Feb 13, 2015
Report
Strength Testing in the Air Force: Current Processes and Suggestions for Improvements
Examines the usefulness, validity, and fairness of the Air Force's Strength Aptitude Test, with a focus on its implementation at military entrance processing stations and the process for setting strength requirements for career fields.
Dec 5, 2014
Journal Article
A Comparison of Cambodian-American Adolescent Substance Use Behavior to National and Local Norms
This study was designed to compare rates of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use in Cambodian-American adolescents with norms from nationally- and regionally-representative peers.
Dec 1, 2014
Report
Beliefs Related to Mental Illness Stigma Among California Young Adults
Report examines mental illness stigma and related beliefs among young adults in California, especially whether levels of stigma are higher or lower than those observed in older adults.
Sep 17, 2014
Journal Article
Design of the Violence and Stress Assessment (ViStA) Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Care Management for PTSD Among Predominantly Latino Patients in Safety Net Health Centers
The Violence and Stress Assessment (ViStA) study is the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the impact of a care management intervention for treating PTSD in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Jul 1, 2014
Report
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma in California
Report identifies racial and ethnic groups in California that are more likely to stigmatize those with mental illness, thereby helping understand who is at greatest risk of experiencing stigma within their own communities.
Jun 2, 2014
Journal Article
Prevalence and Correlates of Depression Among New U.S. Immigrants
The present study examined the prevalence of depression and associated correlates among a national sample of immigrants newly admitted to legal permanent residence to the US.
Jun 1, 2014
Report
Findings from the School-Based Theatrical Performance Walk In Our Shoes
Report examines the effects of a school-based theatrical performance, Walk In Our Shoes, designed to educate youth about and reduce stigma and discrimination toward mental illness.
May 27, 2014
Research Brief
What Has the Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Initiative Done So Far? Year 1 Findings
This fact sheet summarizes the first-year evaluation of California's Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Initiative.
Mar 5, 2014
Report
Evaluating the California Mental Health Services Authority's Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Initiative: Year 1 Findings
Summarizes first-year findings of an ongoing evaluation of a California program aimed at developing statewide capacities and implementing interventions to reduce stigma and discrimination toward those with mental illness.
Feb 11, 2014
Journal Article
Faith to Move Mountains: Religious Coping, Spirituality, and Interpersonal Trauma Recovery
This article focuses on spiritual and religious coping among survivors of child abuse, sexual violence, and war; however, research demonstrates increased use of positive religious coping among some survivors with higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Nov 1, 2013
Journal Article
Mental Health Treatment Experiences of U.S. Service Members Previously Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan
This study examined the mental health treatment experiences of active-duty U.S. service members who received treatment from primary care or specialty mental health providers.
2013
Journal Article
Randomized Controlled Trial of a Psychoeducational Video Intervention for Traumatic Injury Survivors
Evaluated the impact of a psychoeducational video on posttraumatic distress and factors related to the mental health treatment seeking process among trauma care center patients receiving care following hospitalization for a serious physical injury.
2013
Report
Interventions to Reduce Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination: A Literature Review to Guide Evaluation of California's Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Initiative
A number of programs aim to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness, and they can include a variety of components such as training, education, media campaigns, and contact with people with mental illness.
Dec 27, 2012
Journal Article
Building Capacity for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Delivery for Depression in Disaster-Impacted Contexts
Lessons learned from this model of implementation may help address barriers to disseminating evidence-based interventions in other low-resource, disaster-impacted community settings.
Jun 1, 2011
Journal Article
Making Sense of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Illness Perceptions Among Traumatic Injury Survivors
What traumatic stress survivors believe about PTSD may make it difficult for them to recognize that they have a serious mental health condition that warrants treatment.
Mar 1, 2011
Journal Article
The Unusually Poor Physical Health Status of Cambodian Refugees Two Decades After Resettlement
In interviews conducted for this study, Cambodian refugees reported exceedingly poor health when compared to the general population of Asian immigrants.
2011
Report
The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test: Validity, Fairness, and Bias
Reports the results of an examination of the worth and validity of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.
May 10, 2010
Research Brief
The Air Force Should Continue to Use the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test for Officer Selection
The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test is valid and useful and should not be replaced, although other tests could be used to complement it.
May 10, 2010
Journal Article
Barriers to the Collaborative Care of Patients with Orofacial Injury
Collaborative care could integrate the physical and mental health needs of patients after facial surgery, but both patients and physicians report barriers to such care.
May 1, 2010
Journal Article
Mental Health Service Utilization After Physical Trauma: The Importance of Physician Referral
Examines the relative influence of patient-related factors and physician referral on mental health service utilization among patients after a traumatic physical injury.
2009
Journal Article
Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Care After Treatment for Orofacial Injury at a Large, Urban Medical Center: Concordance of Patient and Provider Perspectives
A substantial proportion of patients have unmet psychosocial needs after facial trauma.
2008
Journal Article
Ethnic Identity, Spirituality, and Self-Efficacy Influences on Treatment Outcomes Among Hispanic American Methadone Maintenance Clients
The current study prospectively examined the effects of two cultural factors (ethnic identity and spirituality) on substance abuse treatment outcomes among Hispanic American clients enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment.
2008
Journal Article
Asian Americans in Community-Based Substance Abuse Treatment: Service Needs, Utilization, and Outcomes
The objectives of this study were to examine differences in substance abuse treatment needs, treatment utilization, and outcomes between Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and others.
2007
Journal Article
Survivors of Violence-Related Facial Injury: Psychiatric Needs and Barriers to Mental Health Care
This study examined mental health needs, receptivity to psychosocial aftercare, and barriers to care among survivors of violence-related facial injuries.
2007
Journal Article
U.S. Cambodian Refugees' Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Mental Health Problems
This study examined U.S. Cambodian refugees' use of complementary and alternative medicine and Western sources of care for psychiatric problems. Analyses assessed the extent to which complementary and alternative medicine was used in the absence of Western mental health treatment and whether use of complementary and alternative medicine was associated with decreased use of Western services.
2007
Journal Article
Using Mediators and Moderators to Test Assumptions Underlying Culturally Sensitive Therapies: An Exploratory Example
Factors hypothesized to impact Asian American responses to counseling were tested.
2007
Journal Article
Acculturation and Driving Under the Influence: A Study of Repeat Offenders
Acculturation may be a risk factor for repeat DUI convictions.
2006
Report
Acculturation and Driving Under the Influence: A Study of Repeat Offenders
Finds that among a sample of Hispanic drivers in California with repeat driving under the influence (DUI) offenses, the less-acculturated members were more likely to report a repeat DUI conviction at two-year follow-up than more-acculturated ones.
Jan 1, 2006
Journal Article
Barriers to Mental Health Care Utilization for U.S. Cambodian Refugees
Asian Americans encounter barriers to mental health care, some of which are structural, whereas others may be cultural.
2006