Parental Mental Health Help Seeking: Variables Associated With Asian American Parent Help Seeking Intent

Abstract

There is a vast disparity between children who have mental health concerns and rates of service utilization. This disparity is even greater for children of ethnic minority populations. Understanding the factors contributing to parent help seeking behavior may help address the gap in service utilization. Asian Americans specifically have low rates of mental health service utilization among adults. However, there is limited research on parent help seeking in Asian American parents. In combination with low service utilization across children with mental health concerns, Asian American children are an at-risk population. The study aims to advance research by exploring variables relating to help seeking intent in Asian American parents. The study specifically investigates (1) the effectiveness of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting help seeking intent in Asian American parents; (2) the association between parental strength of ethnic affiliation and the intent to seek help; and (3) whether this association can be explained by mental health stigma. A sample of approximately 69 Asian American parents of children aged 4-17 completed a series of questionnaires and scales measuring common predictors of help seeking intent. Results of this study indicating utility of the Theory of Planned Behavior help to explain the disparity in service utilization and need in Asian American and other ethnic minority children. Furthermore, it may identify factors to target to increase help seeking intent in parents.