Associations Between Parent Country of Origin and Mental Health Help-Seeking
Abstract
Mental health stigma is a barrier to help-seeking behaviors. Cultural attitudes and beliefs and about mental health can both influence and perpetuate that stigma. Research suggests that a family ethnic origin may contribute to mental health stigma. This study aims to investigate the relationship between parent country of origin and mental health help-seeking knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behavior.
A cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a mental health literacy pilot project at private university in South Florida. Parent country of origin (U.S. vs. non-U.S.) was used to examine the likelihood of participants (n=246) to report on seven attributes related to help-seeking: knowledge (“Know where to seek information about mental illness”), skills (“Confident using technology to seek information;” “Confident attending face-to-face appointments to seek information”), attitudes (“If I had a mental illness, I would not seek help from amental health professional;” “If I had a mental illness I would not tell anyone”), and behaviors (“Searched for information about mental health on my own;” “Previously/currently sought help from a mental health professional”).
We anticipate that participants of non-U.S. parents will have a lower mental health literacy across these variables compared to individuals with parents born in the U.S. Results from this study can be used to inform public health approaches to mental health literacy in targeting second generation individuals to improve knowledge, skills, and attitudes about help-seeking behaviors.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Christi M. Navarro, Dr. Maria F. Montoya
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-5-2023 12:00 PM
End Date
4-6-2023 4:00 PM
Associations Between Parent Country of Origin and Mental Health Help-Seeking
Alvin Sherman Library
Mental health stigma is a barrier to help-seeking behaviors. Cultural attitudes and beliefs and about mental health can both influence and perpetuate that stigma. Research suggests that a family ethnic origin may contribute to mental health stigma. This study aims to investigate the relationship between parent country of origin and mental health help-seeking knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behavior.
A cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a mental health literacy pilot project at private university in South Florida. Parent country of origin (U.S. vs. non-U.S.) was used to examine the likelihood of participants (n=246) to report on seven attributes related to help-seeking: knowledge (“Know where to seek information about mental illness”), skills (“Confident using technology to seek information;” “Confident attending face-to-face appointments to seek information”), attitudes (“If I had a mental illness, I would not seek help from amental health professional;” “If I had a mental illness I would not tell anyone”), and behaviors (“Searched for information about mental health on my own;” “Previously/currently sought help from a mental health professional”).
We anticipate that participants of non-U.S. parents will have a lower mental health literacy across these variables compared to individuals with parents born in the U.S. Results from this study can be used to inform public health approaches to mental health literacy in targeting second generation individuals to improve knowledge, skills, and attitudes about help-seeking behaviors.
