Toward a Culturally Responsive Model of Mental Health Literacy: Facilitating Help‐Seeking Among East Asian Immigrants to North America

2016/09/01 by Sumin Na, Andrew G. Ryder, Laurence J. Kirmayer · 155 citations
Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Anthropology #Asian americans #Cultural competence #Ethnic group #Health care #Health literacy #Health psychology #Immigration #Literacy #Medicine #Mental Health Treatment and Access #Mental health #Migration, Health and Trauma #Nursing #Pedagogy #Political science #Psychiatry #Psychology #Public health #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research #Sociology

paper · doi:10.1002/ajcp.12085

published in American Journal of Community Psychology 58(1-2), 211-225 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2016/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Studies have consistently found that East Asian immigrants in North America are less likely to use mental health services even when they experience levels of distress comparable to Euro-Americans. Although cultural factors that may prevent East Asian immigrants from seeking mental health care have been identified, few studies have explored ways to foster appropriate help-seeking and use of mental health services. Recent work on mental health literacy provides a potential framework for strategies to increase appropriate help-seeking and use of services. This paper reviews the literature on help-seeking for mental health problems among East Asian immigrants living in Western countries to critically assess the relevance of the mental health literacy approach as a framework for interventions to improve appropriate use of services. Modifications needed to develop a culturally responsive framework for mental health literacy are identified.

Citations

• “Mental health literacy”: a survey of the public's ability to recognise mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment
• What is the impact of mental health-related stigma on help-seeking? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies
• Asian American mental health: A call to action.

Cited by

• Systematic Review of Cultural Aspects of Stigma and Mental Illness among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in the United States: Implications for Interventions
• Asian American adolescents' mental health literacy and beliefs about helpful strategies to address mental health challenges at school
• Preferences for Depression Help-Seeking Among Vietnamese American Adults
• Need to Culturally Adapt and Improve Access to Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions for Canadian South-Asians: A Call to Action

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• Parental socialization of mental health in Chinese American families: What parents say and do, and how youth make meaning
• Ethnic Differences in Mental Health Status and Service Utilization: A Population-Based Study in Ontario, Canada