Abstract
The present study examined the attitudes toward mental health services held by younger (aged 20-45, n = 209) and older (aged 60 and older, n = 462) groups of Korean Americans. Following Andersen's (1968; A behavioral model of families' use of health service, Center for Health Administration Studies) behavioral health model, predisposing (age, gender, marital status and education), need (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and enabling (acculturation, health insurance coverage and personal experience and beliefs) variables were considered. In the mean-level assessment, younger and older adults were found to hold a similar level of positive attitudes toward mental health services. In the multivariate analysis, culture-influenced beliefs were shown to have a substantial contribution to the model of attitudes toward mental health services in both age groups. The belief that depression is a medical condition was found to be a common predictor of positive attitudes across the groups. In the older adult sample, more negative attitudes were observed among those who believed that depression is a sign of personal weakness and that having a mentally ill family member brings shame to the whole family. Our findings show that older adults are not only more subject to cultural misconceptions and stigma related to mental disorders, but also their attitudes toward service use are negatively influenced by the cultural stigma. The findings provide important implications for interventions targeted to improve access to mental health care among minority populations. Based on the similarities and differences found between young and old, both general and age-specific strategies need to be developed in order to increase effectiveness of these programs.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 127-134 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Aging and Mental Health |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2009 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Korean American adults
- Mental health
- Service utilization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Gerontology
- Phychiatric Mental Health
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Attitudes toward mental health services : Age-group differences in Korean American adults. / Jang, Yuri; Chiriboga, David A.; Okazaki, Sumie.
In: Aging and Mental Health, Vol. 13, No. 1, 01.2009, p. 127-134.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Attitudes toward mental health services
T2 - Age-group differences in Korean American adults
AU - Jang, Yuri
AU - Chiriboga, David A.
AU - Okazaki, Sumie
PY - 2009/1
Y1 - 2009/1
N2 - The present study examined the attitudes toward mental health services held by younger (aged 20-45, n = 209) and older (aged 60 and older, n = 462) groups of Korean Americans. Following Andersen's (1968; A behavioral model of families' use of health service, Center for Health Administration Studies) behavioral health model, predisposing (age, gender, marital status and education), need (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and enabling (acculturation, health insurance coverage and personal experience and beliefs) variables were considered. In the mean-level assessment, younger and older adults were found to hold a similar level of positive attitudes toward mental health services. In the multivariate analysis, culture-influenced beliefs were shown to have a substantial contribution to the model of attitudes toward mental health services in both age groups. The belief that depression is a medical condition was found to be a common predictor of positive attitudes across the groups. In the older adult sample, more negative attitudes were observed among those who believed that depression is a sign of personal weakness and that having a mentally ill family member brings shame to the whole family. Our findings show that older adults are not only more subject to cultural misconceptions and stigma related to mental disorders, but also their attitudes toward service use are negatively influenced by the cultural stigma. The findings provide important implications for interventions targeted to improve access to mental health care among minority populations. Based on the similarities and differences found between young and old, both general and age-specific strategies need to be developed in order to increase effectiveness of these programs.
AB - The present study examined the attitudes toward mental health services held by younger (aged 20-45, n = 209) and older (aged 60 and older, n = 462) groups of Korean Americans. Following Andersen's (1968; A behavioral model of families' use of health service, Center for Health Administration Studies) behavioral health model, predisposing (age, gender, marital status and education), need (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and enabling (acculturation, health insurance coverage and personal experience and beliefs) variables were considered. In the mean-level assessment, younger and older adults were found to hold a similar level of positive attitudes toward mental health services. In the multivariate analysis, culture-influenced beliefs were shown to have a substantial contribution to the model of attitudes toward mental health services in both age groups. The belief that depression is a medical condition was found to be a common predictor of positive attitudes across the groups. In the older adult sample, more negative attitudes were observed among those who believed that depression is a sign of personal weakness and that having a mentally ill family member brings shame to the whole family. Our findings show that older adults are not only more subject to cultural misconceptions and stigma related to mental disorders, but also their attitudes toward service use are negatively influenced by the cultural stigma. The findings provide important implications for interventions targeted to improve access to mental health care among minority populations. Based on the similarities and differences found between young and old, both general and age-specific strategies need to be developed in order to increase effectiveness of these programs.
KW - Korean American adults
KW - Mental health
KW - Service utilization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=60549114893&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=60549114893&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13607860802591070
DO - 10.1080/13607860802591070
M3 - Article
C2 - 19197698
AN - SCOPUS:60549114893
VL - 13
SP - 127
EP - 134
JO - Aging and Mental Health
JF - Aging and Mental Health
SN - 1360-7863
IS - 1
ER -