Psychological Distress, Nativity, and Help-Seeking among Filipino Americans

This study examines Filipino Americans with high levels of psychological distress. We report on whether ethnic identity, discrimination, and nativity are predictors for help-seeking from a medical professional.

We derived our data from the Filipino American Community Epidemiological Study which surveyed Filipino adults living in the United States (N = 2,285). We used OLS regression to examine the association between psychological distress and help-seeking among US-born Filipinos and immigrants.

The majority of US-born and foreign-born Filipinos sought help for psychological distress from a lay person. Years spent in the United States, ethnic identity, and discrimination were strong predictors for help-seeking. US-born Filipinos were more likely to seek help. Those with low ethnic identity and experienced medium to high discrimination were less likely to seek help.

Our findings suggest that years in United States, ethnic identity and discrimination are associated with help-seeking. Future research should consider factors such as social support and acculturation to examine whether these contribute to psychological distress and help-seeking.