A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF ASIAN IMMIGRANT-ORIGIN YOUTH'S STRESS FACTORS AND BARRIERS TO SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP FOR A MENTAL DISORDER
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/8sr8wz19Keywords:
Stress, Mental health, Immigrant, Asian AmericanAbstract
Immigration-origin youth (IOY) from Asia constitute a substantial and growing portion of the American population (U.S.). Few studies have examined the likely causes of mental health issues in Asian IOY. Although there are low use rates, no research has focused on the Asian IOY's perspective on mental health care utilization obstacles. An Asian IOY perspective on pressures that may lead to mental health concerns and their difficulties in seeking treatment for such problems was agreed upon via qualitative research. In-depth focus groups with 33 Asian IOYs (n = 33; 58% female) were held to get direct input. The data were examined using a grounded theory method. Pressure to succeed and the stress of being an ethnic minority and an immigrant were among the stressors that Asian IOY experienced, both of which led to their mental health issues. When researchers examined the barriers to Asian IOYs receiving mental health therapy, they considered their parents' reactions anxiety about treatment and services. Their concerns about stigma, mental health literacy, and practical or logistical reasons for seeking assistance for those with mental health issues. Researchers advocate personalizing outreach programs to persuade more Asian IOY to seek treatment for mental health difficulties.
Downloads
References
Abe-Kim, J., Takeuchi, D. T., Hong, S., Zane, N., Sue, S., Spencer, M. S., Appel, H., Nicdao, E., & Alegría, M. (2007). Use of mental health-related services among immigrant and U.S.-born Asian Americans: Results from the National Latino and Asian American study. American Journal of Public Health, 97(1), 91–98.
Alegria, M., Vallas, M., & Pumariega, A. (2010). Racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric mental health. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 19(4), 759–777.
Allen, K., Kern, M. L., Vella-Brodrick, D. V., Hatie, J., & Waters, L. (2018). What schools need to know about fostering school belonging: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(1), 1–34.
Anyon, Y., Ong, S. L., & Whitaker, K. (2014). School-based mental health prevention for Asian American adolescents: Risk behaviors, protective factors, and service use. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 5(2), 134–144.*
Anyon, Y., Whitaker, K., Shields, J. P., & Franks, H. M. (2013). Help-seeking in the school context: Understanding Chinese American adolescents' underutilization of school health services. Journal of School Health, 83(8), 562–572.*
Arora, P. G., & Algios, A. (2019). School-based mental health for Asian American immigrant youth: Perceptions and recommendations. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 10(2).*
Bear, L., Finer, R., Guo, S., & Lau, A. S. (2014). Building the gateway to success: An appraisal of progress in reaching underserved families and reducing racial disparities in school-based mental health. Psychological Services, 11(4), 388–397.*
Benner, A. D., & Kim, S. Y. (2009). Experiences of discrimination among Chinese American adolescents and the consequences for socioemotional and academic development. Developmental Psychology, 45(6), 1682–1694.*
Cheng, H., Wang, C., McDermott, R. C., Kridel, M., & Rislin, J. L. (2018). Self-stigma, mental health literacy, and attitudes toward seeking psychological help. Journal of Counseling & Development, 96(1), 64–74.*
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.*
Crane, D., Ngai, S. W., Larson, J. H., & Hafen, M. (2005). The influence of family functioning and parent-adolescent acculturation on North American Chinese adolescent outcomes. Family Relations, 54(3), 400–410.*
Deitz, D. K., Cook, R. F., Billings, D. W., & Hendrickson, A. (2009). A web-based mental health program: Reaching parents at work. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 34(5), 488–494.*
Garland, A. F., Lau, A. S., Yeh, M., McCabe, K. M., Hough, R. L., & Landsverk, J. A. (2005). Racial and ethnic differences in utilization of mental health services among high-risk youths. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(7), 1336–1343.*
Greene, M. L., Way, N., & Pahl, K. (2006). Trajectories of perceived adult and peer discrimination among Black, Latino, Asian American adolescents: Patterns and psychological correlates. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 218–236.*
Heron, M. (2018). Deaths: Leading causes for 2016. National Vital Statistics Reports, 67(6). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_06.pdf
Hoagwood, K. E., Olin, S. S., Kerker, B. D., Kratochwill, T. R., Crowe, M., & Saka, N. (2007). Empirically based school interventions targeted at academic and mental health functioning. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 15(2), 66–92.*
Javier, J. R., Supan, J., Lansang, A., Beyer, W., Kubicek, K., & Palinkas, L. A. (2014). Preventing Filipino mental health disparities: Perspectives from adolescents, caregivers, providers, and advocates. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 5(1), 316–324.*
Lee, S. J. (1996). Unraveling the "model minority" stereotype: Listening to Asian American youth. Teachers College Press.*
Lee, S. J. (2009). Unraveling the "model minority" stereotype: Listening to Asian American youth (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.*
Lee, S., Juon, H., Martinez, G., Hsu, C. E., Robinson, E. S., Bawa, J., & Ma, G. X. (2009). Model minority at risk: Expressed needs of mental health by Asian American young adults. Journal of Community Health, 34(2), 144–152.*
Li, C., & Li, H. (2016). Longing for a balanced life: Voices of Chinese-American adolescents. In B. K. Nastasi & A. P. Borja (Eds.), International handbook of psychological well-being in children and adolescents (pp. 247–269). Springer Publishing.*
Li, C., & Li, H. (2017). Chinese immigrant parents' perspectives on psychological well-being and acculturative stress. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 27(1), 245–270.*
Li, C., Li, H., & Niu, J. (2016). Intercultural stressors of Chinese immigrant students: Voices of Chinese-American mental health professionals. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 7(1), 64–73.*
Ling, A., Okazaki, S., Tu, M.-C., & Kim, J. J. (2014). Challenges in meeting the mental health needs of urban Asian American adolescents: Service providers' perspectives. Race and Social Problems, 6(1), 25–37.*
Meshvara, D. (2002). Mental health and mental health care in Asia. World Psychiatry, 1(2), 118–120.*
Ouellette, P. M., Briscoe, R., & Tyson, C. (2004). Parent-school and community partnerships in children's mental health. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 13(1), 295–308.*
Pallathadka, L. K., & Pallathadka, H. (2020). A literature review on Ayurvedic management of psychiatric disorders. International Journal of Aquatic Science, 11(1), 102–110.*
Pew Research Center. (2017). Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/08/key-facts-about-asian-americans/
Rao, A., Myszkowski, N., & Arora, P. G. (2019). The acceptability and perceived effectiveness of a psychoeducational program for Asian immigrant parents. The School Psychologist, 73(1), 11–20.*
Rhee, S., Chang, J., & Rhee, J. (2003). Acculturation, communication patterns, and self-esteem among Asian and Caucasian American adolescents. Adolescence, 38(152), 749–768.*
Shin, J. Y., D’Antonio, E., Son, H., Kim, S. A., & Park, Y. (2011). Bullying and discrimination experiences among Korean American adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 34(5), 873–888.*
Soleimanpour, S., Brindis, C., Geierstanger, S., Kandawalla, S., & Kurlaender, T. (2008). Incorporating youth-led community participatory research into school health programs. Public Health Reports, 123(1), 709–716.*
Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. M. (Eds.). (1997). Grounded theory in practice. Sage Publications.*
Suárez-Orozco, C., Onaga, M., & De Lardemelle, C. (2010). Promoting academic engagement among immigrant adolescents through school-family-community collaboration. Professional School Counseling, 14(1), 15–26.*
van Nes, F., Abma, T., Jonsson, H., & Deeg, D. (2010). Language differences in qualitative research: Is meaning lost in translation? European Journal of Ageing, 7(1), 313–316.*
Vaughn, S., Schumm, J. S., & Sinagub, J. M. (1996). Focus group interviews in education and psychology. Sage Publications.*
Vazquez-Nuttall, E., Li, C., & Kaplan, J. P. (2006). Home-school partnerships with culturally diverse families: Challenges and solutions. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 22(2), 81–102.*
Wang, C., Do, K. A., Frese, K., & Zheng, L. (2019a). Asian immigrant parents' perceptions of barriers preventing adolescents from seeking school-based health services. School Mental Health, 11(2), 364–377.*
Wang, C., Marsico, K. F., & Do, K. A. (2020). Asian American parents' beliefs about helpful strategies for addressing adolescent mental health concerns. School Mental Health. Advance online publication.
Wang, C., Shao, X., Do, K. A., Lu, H., O'Neal, C., & Zhang, Y. (2019b). Using participatory culture-specific consultation with Asian American communities. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 29(1), 1–21.*
Wei, Y., Hayden, J. A., Kutcher, S., Zygmunt, A., & McGrath, P. (2013). The effectiveness of school mental health literacy programs. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 7(1), 109–121.*
Wong, A., Wong, Y. J., & Obeng, C. S. (2012). An untold story: A qualitative study of Asian American family strengths. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 3(4), 286–298.*
Wyatt, L. C., Ung, T., Park, R., Kwon, S. C., & Trinh-Shevrin, C. (2015). Risk factors of suicide and depression among Asian American youth: A systematic literature review. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 26(2 Suppl), 191–237.*
Yeh, C. J., Arora, A. K., Inose, M., Okubo, Y., Li, R. H., & Greene, P. (2003a). The cultural adjustment and mental health of Japanese immigrant youth. Adolescence, 38(151), 481–500.*
Yeh, C. J., Kim, A. B., Pituc, S. T., & Atkins, M. (2008). Poverty, loss, and resilience: The story of Chinese immigrant youth. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(1), 34–48.*
Yeh, C., & Inose, M. (2002). Difficulties and coping strategies of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean immigrant students. Adolescence, 37(145), 169–182.*
Yeh, M., McCabe, K., Hough, R. L., Dupuis, D., & Hazen, A. (2003b). Racial/ethnic differences in parental endorsement of barriers to mental health services for youth. Mental Health Services Research, 5(2), 65–77.*
Zhou, Z., Peverly, S. T., Xin, T., Huang, A. S., & Wang, W. (2003). School adjustment of first-generation Chinese-American adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 40(1), 71–84.*
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
