Latino immigrants' intentions to seek depression care.

This study examined the role that illness perceptions, attitudes toward depression treatments, and subjective norms played in Latino immigrants' intentions to seek depression care. Ninety-five Latino immigrant patients were presented a vignette depicting an individual with major depression and interviewed about their intentions to seek care if confronted with a similar situation. Patients' preferences were to rely on informal sources of care first, and then turn to formal sources to cope with depression. Findings showed Latinos immigrants' help-seeking intentions for depression were a function of their views of depression, attitudes toward their doctors' interpersonal skills, and social norms related to seeking professional care after controlling for demographics, health insurance status, acculturation, clinical characteristics, perceived barriers to care, and past service use.