Title | Help-seeking attitudes among Vietnamese Americans: the impact of acculturation, cultural barriers, and spiritual beliefs |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2009 |
Authors | Luu, TD, Leung, P, Nash, SG |
Journal | Social Work in Mental HealthSocial Work in Mental Health |
Volume | 7 |
Pagination | 476-493 |
ISBN Number | 1533-2985 |
Keywords | Acculturation, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Attitude, Attitude Measures, Coefficient Alpha, Cultural Values, Employment Status, Factor Analysis, Female, Health Beliefs, Help Seeking Behavior, Human, Language, Male, Mental Health, Mental Health Services -- Utilization, Middle Age, Multiple Regression, Multivariate Analysis, Psychological Tests, Questionnaires, Scales, Social Work, Psychiatric, Spirituality, Summated Rating Scaling, Surveys, Texas, Translations, Vietnamese -- Texas |
Abstract | There is increasing evidence that Vietnamese Americans underutilize mental health services. This study surveyed 210 Vietnamese Americans about their attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help to further understanding of variables that may impact attitudes toward use of mental health services in this community. It was hypothesized that acculturation, cultural barriers, and spiritual beliefs together will predict attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. The results indicated acculturation, cultural barriers, spiritual beliefs, age, and occupation were significant predictors of help-seeking attitudes. Specifically, higher levels of acculturation, cultural barriers, age, and occupation meant more positive attitudes toward seeking help whereas lower levels of spiritual beliefs resulted in more favorable attitudes toward seeking help. Implications for social work research and practice are addressed. |
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