Keywords
Asian values; mental health; attitudes; behaviors; college; service utilization
Abstract
In the United States, Asian Americans have been viewed as the “model minority” which is a cultural expectation to be smart, hardworking, and not needing assistance, which has the potential to minimize any hardships they may face in their daily lives. In the Asian community, there is stigma around asking and using mental health services, which may result in their underutilization. However, there is a lack of studies on the Asian American college-aged population, which highlights a gap of knowledge amongst a potentially vulnerable group. To address this gap, this study aims to consider the ways that prevalent Asian values (collectivism, conformity to norms, emotional self-control, family recognition through achievement, humility) affect the use of mental health services among Asian American university students. This study used a cross-sectional design to collect data from a sample of 32 Asian American students who attended the University of Central Florida (UCF). Eligible participants include those who self-identify as Asian Americans, are current students at UCF, and aged 18 or older. Data was collected through an anonymous Qualtrics survey to assess: participants’ sociodemographics, identity with Asian American cultural values, depression, anxiety, and attitudes and behaviors toward mental health help-seeking and service utilization. The data analysis consisted of descriptive and bivariate analysis. Results found a significant association between the Asian value of humility and lifetime informal mental health help-seeking behaviors with a p-value of .041, with no other associations found. These findings contrast with previous research which found a significant association between the value of emotional self-control and mental health help-seeking attitudes but agree with previous research of no association between humility, collectivism, conformity to norms, and family recognition through achievement and mental health help-seeking attitudes. Future studies should focus on gaining a large sample size and collecting data from a larger demographic region.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Wang, Xiaochuan
College
College of Health Professions and Sciences
Department
Social Work
Thesis Discipline
Social Work
Language
English
Access Status
Campus Access
Length of Campus Access
5 years
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Srinivasan, Sweta, "Mental Health Service Utilization Amongst Asian American College Students: Role Of Asian Values" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 289.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/289
Rights Statement
