Fung Kenneth, Wong Yuk-Lin Renita
Department of Psychiatry, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Ontario, Canada.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2007 May;53(3):216-31. doi: 10.1177/0020764006074541.
It has been recognized that Asian immigrants in North America have lower rates of mental health service utilization. From the perspective of cross-cultural psychiatry, one of the most important cultural factors may be differences in the explanatory model of illness. This article examines the relationship of causal beliefs, perceived service accessibility and attitudes towards seeking mental health care.
The sample consisted of 1000 immigrant and refugee women from five ethnic minority communities in Toronto, including three Chinese Canadian communities (Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan), Korean Canadians and Vietnamese Canadians. Data were acquired by a self-administered structured questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed using MANOVA, ANOVA and stepwise multiple regression.
The five ethnic minority groups of women differed in their explanatory models about mental illness and distress. In the full model where other variables were controlled for, the most significant factor predicting attitudes towards seeking professional help was perceived access for all groups except the Hong Kong Chinese. In the last group, those subscribing more to a Western stress model of illness had a more positive attitude towards seeking professional help, while those subscribing more to supernatural beliefs had a more negative attitude. Age and education were not significant predictors.
Perceived access is one of the main factors that influence attitudes toward seeking professional help. Explanatory models may predict help-seeking behaviours if perceived access to such services is available.
人们已经认识到，北美地区的亚洲移民心理健康服务利用率较低。从跨文化精神病学的角度来看，最重要的文化因素之一可能是疾病解释模式的差异。本文探讨了因果信念、感知到的服务可及性与寻求心理健康护理态度之间的关系。
样本包括来自多伦多五个少数族裔社区的1000名移民和难民妇女，其中包括三个加拿大华裔社区（香港、中国大陆和台湾）、加拿大韩裔和加拿大越南裔。数据通过自行填写的结构化问卷收集。定量数据采用多变量方差分析、方差分析和逐步多元回归进行分析。
这五个少数族裔妇女群体对精神疾病和痛苦的解释模式存在差异。在控制了其他变量的完整模型中，除香港华人外，对所有群体而言，预测寻求专业帮助态度的最显著因素是感知到的可及性。在最后一组中，更多认同西方疾病压力模型的人对寻求专业帮助持更积极的态度，而更多认同超自然信念的人则持更消极的态度。年龄和教育程度不是显著的预测因素。
感知到的可及性是影响寻求专业帮助态度的主要因素之一。如果能够获得此类服务，解释模式可能会预测求助行为。
