Willingness to Seek Professional Psychological Help Among Vietnamese- Americans Dung Ngo, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Psychology Department 1725 State Street La Crosse, WI (608)

OVERVIEW OF VIETNAMESE- AMERICANS Vietnamese-American Population in the United States by Region. Regions Population Northeastern States115,487 Midwestern States106,938 Southern States335,679 Western States 564,424 Total1,122,528 Source. U.S. Census Bureau, 2000.

A BRIEF HISTORICAL CONTEXT First Wave: April 30, 1975  More educated; better English proficiency  More exposure to Western cultures  Possessed transferable skills Second Wave: Late 1970s through 1980s  “The Boat People”  Many also escaped by land Third Wave: Early 1990s  Humanitarian Operation and  Family Reunification (Late 1980s)

PREIMMIGRATION TRAUMA Types of Trauma (Mollica, et al., 1992)  War/Combat  Lack of food and shelter  Imprisonment/torture  Witnessing death  Lost at sea/jungle  Rape High prevalence in Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Adjustment problems  In a community sample >70% reported high levels of depression & PTSD (Ngo, 1998) Low Service Utilization Rates (Sue et al., 1992)

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR LOW RATES OF MENTAL HEALTH UTILIZATION? Shame/Cultural stigma Language barriers Unfamiliar with mental health services Transportation; time consuming; cost  “Paying $75/session for talking is ridiculous” Lack of culturally sensitive service providers & facilities NOT because Vietnamese are “model minorities” and are psychologically healthy

CONCEPTUALIZATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN ASIAN CULTURES Western concepts of mental illness may be inconsistent with Vietnamese culture Terms for many psychiatric conditions do not exist (Ngo et al., 2003)  Vietnamese dictionaries define depression Discouragement, disheartenment, sadness Abnormal behaviors (e.g., psychosis) are often referred to as “CRAZY”  Spiritual Possession or Cursed Treatments are often restricted to “home remedies” and confinement until unbearable

PREDICTORS OF WILLINGNESS TO SEEK PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP SAMPLE:  335 Vietnamese adults in MA, MO, TX  55% Women  98% were born in VN  Mean age = 44 years  Mean length of residence: 11 years  Education: 33% four-year college; 42% H.S.; 25% less than H.S.

METHODS MEASURES: CLINICAL VIGNETTES  Depression (Mrs. Le)  PTSD (Mr. Ly) PERCEIVED CAUSE  Spiritual possession (God, demons)  Physical-Biological-Medical (physical illness)  Psychological (weak mind)  Social-Environmental (problems with family or others)

METHODS PERCEPTION ABOUT HELPING SOURCES  Psychologists  Herbalists  Religious leaders  Family physicians  Friends  Family  Community leaders ATTITUDES TOWARD SEEKING PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP (Fischer & Turner, 1970)  29 items (Need, Stigma, Openness, and Confidence)

METHODS INDEPENDENT VARIABLES  Demographic Variables  ATSPPH  Help Preference  Perceived Cause DEPENDENT VARIABLE  Willingness to Seek Help

GENERAL RESULTS Women reported more positive attitudes and more willingness to seek professional help. Younger participants appeared more willingness to seek help for PTSD but not for Depression. Household (NOT personal) income was correlated with willingness to seek help.

RESULTS While ATSPPH highly correlated with willingness to seek help, Perception of helping sources strongly influenced their willingness to seek help  Participants perceived PSYCHOLOGIST as most helpful source were more willing to seek help for both DEPRESSION & PSTD. Perceptions about the causes of mental disorders also influenced willingness to seek help.  Past studies reported AA perceived the causes on mental illness as organic factors (Sue et al., 1996).  This study, Vietnamese perceived the cause for both Depression and PTSD as psychological or personal i.e., “keeping the problem to oneself”.

CONCLUSIONS-IMPLICATIONS Vietnamese-Americans in this sample quite open to seek help from a mental health professional if that source is perceived as helpful. Perceptions about the causes of the diorders influenced participants’ willingness to seek professional help.  Vietnamese in this sample perceived Depression and PTSD are caused by “keeping the problem to oneself”, suggest their willingness to discuss their problems with a trusted professional Community psychoeducation about mental health services may increase willingness to seek professional psychological help.

CONTACT INFORMATION Dung Ngo, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Psychology Department 1725 State Street La Crosse, WI Office: (608)