Willingness to Seek Professional Psychological Help Among Vietnamese-

Americans Dung Ngo, Ph.D.

University of Wisconsin-La CrossePsychology Department

1725 State StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601

(608) 785-8444ngo.dung@uwlax.edu

OVERVIEW OF VIETNAMESE-AMERICANS

Vietnamese-American Population in the United States by Region.

Regions Population

Northeastern States 115,487Midwestern States 106,938Southern States 335,679Western States 564,424

Total 1,122,528

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 54601 Office: (608) 785-8444

Email: ngo.dung@uwlax.edu