Mind Over Matter: Application Of The Social-Ecological Model In Understanding Help-Seeking Behavior For Treatment Of Depression And Anxiety In Asian Americans

This thesis aims to examine factors that affect help-seeking behavior for the treatment of anxiety and depression among Asian Americans, using the social-ecological model as a framework of analysis. Although Asian Americans have the highest median income and the highest postsecondary graduation rates of all racial groups in the U.S., Asian Americans exhibit lower utilization rates for mental health services than the general U.S. population. Moreover, a significant literature gap exists in the field of Asian American mental health research, highlighting a need to better understand mental health concerns of the Asian American population. A meta-analysis was conducted using the PubMed database. Only English-language studies published in the last 10 years with experimental designs and quantitative results were included. Factors affecting help-seeking behavior were examined across four levels of the social-ecological model: the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels. On the individual level, etiological beliefs were found to promote help-seeking behavior; on the interpersonal level, peer connection promoted help-seeking attitudes; on the institutional level, financial and language barriers discouraged help-seeking behavior; and on the societal level, stigma and Asian values discouraged help-seeking behavior. Findings were synthesized across multiple levels of the social-ecological model, and compared to those of previous studies on Asian American help-seeking behavior. Lastly, recommendations for reform on each level of the social-ecological model are proposed. Future directions in clinical and research settings are also recommended, in the hopes of improving mental health service utilization among Asian Americans in the future.