Date of Award

1994

Degree Name

Psychology

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Elaine Baker

Second Advisor

Marty Amerikaner

Third Advisor

Marc A. Findley

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to explore possible relations between African-American acculturation level and attitudes of seeking professional psychological help. A sample of 120 African-American residents of Huntington, WV, completed survey questionnaires designed to assess: cultural commitment levels; attitudes toward counseling; and awareness of the Prestera Center for Mental Health Services, a local mental health center. Cultural commitment levels were assessed by self-ratings of African-Americans to the Anglo- and African-American cultures, and to the specific Huntington Anglo- and African-American cultures; respondants also rated their perceptions of mental health professionals' commitment levels to the Anglo-, African-, Huntington Anglo-, and Huntington African-American cultures. Attitudes toward counseling were evaluated by utilizing the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale and awareness of the Prestera Center was assessed from questions provided by the Prestera Center. The only significant relation found was between cultural commitment to the Huntington Anglo-American culture and the ATSPPHS Stigma subscale, F=2.69, p< .05. Significant main effects were found, however, on African-Americans' attitudes toward counseling services as a function of their perceptions of commitment levels of mental health professionals to the Anglo- and African-American cultures: Need subscale, f = 2.77, p<.05; Stigma subscale, F=3.09, p<.05; Confidence subscale, F = 4.15, p< .01; and for the total ATSPPHS, F=3.12, p<.05. These findings suggest that African-Americans' cultural commitment levels may not have direct relations to their help-seeking attitudes. Instead, African-Americans' perceptions of mental health professionals' commitment levels to the Anglo­ and African-American cultures are related to their help-seeking attitudes: African-Americans perceiving mental health professionals to be committed only to the Anglo-American culture have less favorable attitudes towards seeking help than those perceiving mental health professionals to be less committed to the Anglo-American culture. The perceived commitment levels of mental health professionals to the Anglo­ and African-American cultures may influence mentalhealth service utilization rates in African-Americans.

Subject(s)

African Americans - Counseling of.

Mental health facilities - Utilization.

Mental health counseling - Valuation.

African-Americans - Mental health - West Virginia.

African-Americans - Psychology.

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