For many Asian Americans, the family is a pivotal force. It may provide their main source of strength and support, but when things go wrong, it may also be their greatest torment.
Psychologists at the University of California, Davis, say that conflict within the family appears to affect Asian Americans more adversely than other negative factors, such as depression or poverty ”” to the point of increasing their risk of suicide. The new findings are based on a preliminary analysis of data collected from in-person interviews with more than 2,000 Asian Americans, aged 18 or older, as part of the federally funded 2003 National Latino and Asian American Study. The author of the new paper, whose data were presented Aug. 17 at the American Psychological Association meeting in Boston, seeks to highlight how profound the impact of the family may be for many Asian Americans ”” something that many mental-health professionals may not fully appreciate when dealing with an ethnic minority that is often reluctant to seek counseling.
“In general, Asian Americans are not likely to talk about their psychological problems,” says Stanley Sue, a professor of psychology and Asian American studies at U.C. Davis. “Community practitioners notice that Asian Americans are less likely to self-disclose their personal problems.” Studies suggest that Asian Americans are also less likely than other groups to use mental health services in cases where it may help, Sue says, preferring to rely on culturally acceptable traditions of discipline and family order.
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Time Magazine: A Family Suicide Risk in US Asians?
For many Asian Americans, the family is a pivotal force. It may provide their main source of strength and support, but when things go wrong, it may also be their greatest torment.
Psychologists at the University of California, Davis, say that conflict within the family appears to affect Asian Americans more adversely than other negative factors, such as depression or poverty ”” to the point of increasing their risk of suicide. The new findings are based on a preliminary analysis of data collected from in-person interviews with more than 2,000 Asian Americans, aged 18 or older, as part of the federally funded 2003 National Latino and Asian American Study. The author of the new paper, whose data were presented Aug. 17 at the American Psychological Association meeting in Boston, seeks to highlight how profound the impact of the family may be for many Asian Americans ”” something that many mental-health professionals may not fully appreciate when dealing with an ethnic minority that is often reluctant to seek counseling.
“In general, Asian Americans are not likely to talk about their psychological problems,” says Stanley Sue, a professor of psychology and Asian American studies at U.C. Davis. “Community practitioners notice that Asian Americans are less likely to self-disclose their personal problems.” Studies suggest that Asian Americans are also less likely than other groups to use mental health services in cases where it may help, Sue says, preferring to rely on culturally acceptable traditions of discipline and family order.
Read it all.