Individualism^collectivism, social-network orientation, and acculturation as predictors of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Chinese Americans.

Abstract

Several culturally based variables were used to predict the patterns of help-seeking attitudes among a sample of Chinese-American students (TV = 219) in a large midwestern university. Cultural values operationalized by H. C. Triandis, R. Bontempo, M. J. Villareal, M. Asai, and N. Lucca's (1988) Individualism-Collectivism Scale, social support attitudes operationalized by A. Vaux's (1985) Network Orientation Scale, and the continuous variable of acculturation operationalized by the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (R. M. Suinn, K. Rickard-Figueroa, S. Lew, & P. Vigil, 1987) were selected as predictors of attitudes as measured by E. H. Fischer and J. L. Turner's (1970) Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale. Each of the 4 independent variables were found to be significant predictors of attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help. The counseling and research implications of the results are discussed. Research on cross-cultural issues that have an impact on counseling and psychotherapy has gained an impetus only since the 1970s (Atkinson, 1985). Atkinson (1985) examined reviews that had critically summarized studies dealing with the relationship between cultural and counseling variables (Atkinson, 1983; Harrison, 1975; Sattler, 1977). Three important characteristics of the studies conducted before 1985 stood out. First, most of the research had focused on relations between African Americans and Caucasians and had not examined other racial and ethnic groups. Second, the settings in which a large proportion of the studies had been conducted were mental health outpatient clinics or psychiatric hospital inpatient units, not college counseling centers. Third, either a survey or an archival research design had been used in a majority of the studies. These observations can also be made about a large number of studies that have examined the role of ethnic and racial variables in areas of psychology other than those of counseling and psychotherapy. Atkinson (1985) recommended that researchers study a number of different ethnic and racial groups, investigate within-group variables, such as self-designated identity and cultural commitment, and do more research in college settings. These recommendations are valuable for studies on a number of psychological issues and processes. Some of these issues include attitudes, values, experiences, expectations, beliefs, and social-support systems of members of different ethnic groups (Root, 1985). These factors affect a number of behaviors, one of which is the act of seeking professional psychological help. Research has shown that members of non-Caucasian ethnic groups

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