Relationship of Acculturation, Views of Mental Illness, and Likelihood of Seeking Treatment for Mental Health Issues within Latinx Immigrants in the U.S.

Abstract

Latin Immigrants who live in the U.S. experience barriers when seeking mental health treatment. This population possesses different cultural norms than the host society of Anglo- Americans; these distinctly different levels of stigma related to mental health results in individual members\u27 attitudes about seeking different forms of treatment. The Latin population tends to hold a more negative stigma and attitude than the host society. As the Latin immigrant lives in the US, some acculturate to the Anglo-American society; this can alter the more negative stigma that the Latin population tends to hold toward mental health. The greater the general acculturation by a Latinx, the greater will be the self-perception of health which will affect the usage of care and attitudes about mental illness within the health care field. This greater acculturation will lessen the negative stigma held by the Latin immigrant towards mental health and increase the likelihood of this population seeking mental health treatment. Therefore it is hypothesized, that the more acculturated a Latino immigrant is to the Anglo American society, the less of a negative stigma will exists towards mental health, which will increase the likelihood of seeking treatment if needed for said population