Acculturation and Depression Help-Seeking Intentions in a Majority Mexican American College Student Sample

Linda E Guzman; Ana J Bridges; Dulce E Díaz Benitez; Joseph D Hovey

doi:10.1007/s10903-024-01613-6

Acculturation and Depression Help-Seeking Intentions in a Majority Mexican American College Student Sample

J Immigr Minor Health. 2024 Jul 3. doi: 10.1007/s10903-024-01613-6. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Linda E Guzman¹, Ana J Bridges², Dulce E Díaz Benitez², Joseph D Hovey³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Linda_Guzman@brown.edu.
² Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
³ Department of Psychological Science, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA.

PMID: 38958898
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-024-01613-6

Abstract

Work has not examined if acculturation or enculturation may predict endorsed benefits, barriers, and intentions to seek mental health services for depression, specifically among Latino students enrolled in a rural and majority Latino immigrant institution of higher education. An improved understanding of factors informing mental health help-seeking is needed to identify possible intervention points to address gaps in accessing depression treatment. Participants (N = 406) read a vignette depicting a person with depressive symptoms. Participants were asked if they would seek help for depression if in the situation described in the vignette. Participants provided text responses about their preferences for managing depression symptoms and their mental health help-seeking history. Additionally, participants completed a self-report depression symptom screener, demographic surveys, acculturation assessment, and questionnaires on perceived benefits and barriers to seeking mental health services. Path analysis was used to test the link between acculturation status and intent to seek services for depression, with benefits and barriers as mediators. The results revealed that higher perceived benefits and lower barriers were directly associated with greater intentions to seek help. Furthermore, an indirect effect of acculturation on help-seeking intentions via higher perceived benefits of seeking care was observed. These findings persisted after controlling for age, gender, depression, and history of seeking care for depression. Future work should test the replicability of this finding with diverse college students living in predominantly immigrant communities. Universities might consider tailoring outreach initiatives to provide information on the range and accessibility of mental health services, the location of mental health service centers, and the procedures for accessing such services.

Keywords: Acculturation; College students; Depression; Help-seeking; Latino.

Grants and funding

SM083355/Minority Fellowship Program