The Impact of Cultural and Structural Barriers on Mental Health Service Utilization Among Asian American Young Adults

Background: Despite reporting comparable mental health needs to Whites, Asian Americans (AA) are the least likely to seek mental health services than other races. Numerous reasons are noted for the low utilization of mental health services including access to services, economic or financial constraints, cultural stigma of mental health, language barriers, and lack of culturally appropriate services. Previous research has focused on the independent effects of these cultural beliefs and structural barriers on mental health service utilization among AA, however, few studies have examined the interplay between these factors. This study aims to explore the relationship between cultural and structural barriers and their impact on help-seeking attitudes and behaviors among AA young adults.

Method: The current study examines data from a sample of 200 Chinese American young adults being recruited for a larger study on help seeking for mental health. An online survey was administered to Chinese American young adults to examine the impeding effects of both cultural barriers (i.e. cultural stigma of mental health) and structural barriers (i.e. access to mental health services, lack of culturally appropriate care, economic difficulties ADD here examples) on mental health service utilization. Stepwise regression models assessed (1) the independent effects of cultural and structural barriers and (2) the two-way interaction effects (cultural X structural barriers) on the attitude toward seeking professional psychological help.

Results: The preliminary analysis revealed that perceived structural barriers were negatively associated with attitudes towards seeking professional help. In the two-way interaction model, the impact of cultural barriers exacerbated the negative effect of structural barriers on attitudes towards seeking professional help.

Conclusion and Implication: The study's findings suggest that addressing both cultural and structural barriers are crucial to promoting mental health service utilization among Asian Americans. Clinical interventions should focus on these areas to increase access to mental health services. Given that AA are often viewed as a "model minority" with unrestricted mobility, it is especially important to address structural barriers to mental health services when serving AA young adults.