Explanatory models of major depression and implications for help-seeking among immigrant Chinese-American women

Abstract

This study explores the explanatory models of major depression in a group of 40 recently immigrated Chinese-American women, and demonstrates the significant relationship between problem conceptualization and help-seeking behavior. Respondents are presented a vignette depicting major depression, from which they are asked to conceptualize the problem described and answer questions regarding its cause, impact and potential sources for help-seeking. Those who provide a psychological conceptualization are likely not to suggest professional services, but to turn to themselves and family and friends for assistance. On the other hand, those who hold a physical conceptualization are likely to seek out medical services. Implications for effective mental health service delivery to this population are discussed.

Relationships between adolescents’ preferred sources of help and emotional distress, ambivalence over emotional expression, and causal attribution of symptoms: a Singapore study

“…Physiological causation is positively associated with preferences for medical doctor and TCM physician as sources of help. This pattern is similar for both depressive and anxious symptoms, and duplicates previous findings (Banerjee & Roy, 1998;Lee, 2007;Ying, 1990). As the health beliefs of adolescents in this study are embedded in both biomedical and traditional Chinese medicines, they may be receptive to seeking help from both types of practitioners.…”

“…This pattern is similar for both depressive and anxious symptoms, and is consistent with previous findings (Boey, 1999;Chen, 1987). However, contrary to the research hypothesis and previous findings (Lee, 2007;Ying, 1990), psychosocial causation is not statistically related to family and friend/classmate as sources of help. This may be due to the items used for measuring the construct of psychosocial causation.…”

“…For example, endorsement of psychosocial causation for distress symptoms was connected to a higher willingness in using mental health services among Chinese college students (Boey, 1999) whereas endorsement of biomedical causation for psychiatric symptoms was connected to consultations with medical doctors among Indian psychiatric patients (Banerjee & Roy, 1998). However, in a study of Chinese American women (Ying, 1990), psychosocial attribution to depressive symptoms was linked to recommendations of self-help and seeking help from an informal social support network (family and friends) but not from mental health professionals or medical doctors. By contrast, attributing depressive symptoms to a biomedical cause was linked to recommendations of seeking help from medical doctors but not from mental health professionals, formal social support network or self-help.…”

Cultural issues in disease management for chinese americans with type 2 diabetes

“…Evidence for this was poignantly illustrated by patients who linked emotional and physical health to a ''stable heart.'' A similar holistic conceptualization of health was reported by new Chinese immigrant women who attributed depression to both psychological and physical factors including ''heart problems'' (Ying, 1990). Such conceptualizations point to the Chinese cultural belief that the heart is the ''ruler'' of a person's thoughts, emotions and intelligence (Tung, 1994).…”

Help-Seeking Patterns of Chinese Parents in Hong Kong

“…T ata and Leong (1994) found that cultural values, social support, network orientation and acculturation influenced Chinese American students' attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help. Ying (1990) observed that Chinese-American women's conceptualization of the problem (whether physical or psychological) determined their help-seeking patterns. While the above-mentioned studies are pioneering studies on the help-seeking behaviour of Chinese people and the related determinants, they have two limitations.…”