Garcia,
Christina (04/08) The role of acculturation, mental health beliefs, familism,
knowledge of psychotherapy, cultural competency, and ethnic match in attitudes
toward seeking psychological help in Latinos (Elizabeth Kudadjie-Gyamfi, Ph.D.;
Rhiannon Allen, Ph.D.; Joan Duncan, Ph.D.)
There is a need for further studies on
attitudes towards psychotherapy, as well as an increase in service utilization
by the Latino population in the field of psychology in the United States. As
the population increases, a strategy is needed to increase the quantity and
quality of mental health research and researchers interested in the field. As
the heterogeneity of Latinos increases, different ethnic groups must be
examined more specifically to address factors which impede service utilization.
Acculturation, mental health beliefs, familism, knowledge of psychotherapy,
cultural competency, and ethnic match were examined to determine their role in
this population's low use and attitudes toward available mental health
resources. The study used a sample of 160 participants of Dominican and Puerto
Rican descent from two colleges in New York City. Multiple regressions and a
One Way ANOVA were used to identify factors within these two groups that
influenced attitudes towards psychotherapy.
Acculturation and insurance were
positively associated with attitudes; beliefs in causes of mental illness was
also significant in that having healthy physical habits was positively
associated with attitudes towards psychotherapy but believing in ill spiritual
fate was associated with less favorable attitudes. Ethnic match (language) was
associated with more favorable attitudes; however cultural competency could not
be adequately examined due to a confounding effect of order when examining
participant perceptions relative to a Latino and European therapist. The
endorsement of understanding, ease, and respect of cultural differences emerged
in both therapist conditions assessing cultural competency and were associated
with positive attitudes towards treatment. Lastly, knowledge of psychotherapy
and satisfaction with previous therapy was associated with more positive
attitudes.
Salient issues in the assessment of the
Latino population in terms of their help seeking perceptions and behavior to be
pursued in further research are the following: perception of the Latino
population by society, insurance, beliefs in causes of illness, language,
perceived cultural competency, knowledge of psychotherapy, and previous
satisfaction with therapy.
