(PS5-A18) Understanding Asian American Attitudes Toward Mental Health Treatment: The Role of Stigma and Gender

Asian Americans consistently report significant underuse of mental health services due to cultural factors such as societal stigma. Furthermore, disparities in treatment-seeking between genders have consistently been reported. Previous literature suggests that female participants often report fewer stigma beliefs and more positive attitudes towards psychotherapy as compared to male participants. However, research specific to Asian American women reflects weaker psychological help-seeking attitudes. Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (iCBT) has been shown to provide anonymity benefits to its users, making it more favorable than traditional treatment. This study aims to examine the relationship between Asian American attitudes towards iCBT and attitudinal trends based on cultural factors such as stigma and gender.

Asian American participants (N = 99) were recruited from a diverse, metropolitan area and asked to complete questionnaires that examined stigma as a barrier to treatment and attitudes towards iCBT.

Spearman’s Rho correlations indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between stigma and acceptability of iCBT, or stigma and perceived anonymity benefits of iCBT. Additionally, an ANCOVA indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between gender and acceptability of iCBT among Asian Americans. However, an ANOVA revealed that female participants reported stigma as a significantly greater barrier towards mental health treatment than male participants.

This study supports that gender impacts perceived barriers towards psychotherapy. However, several factors related to Asian American attitudes toward iCBT remain inconclusive and are deserving of further research in the domains of acculturation, societal gender roles, and impacts of culturally competent treatment.