Effects of increased psychiatric treatment contact and acculturation on the causal beliefs of chinese immigrant relatives of individuals with psychosis

Lawrence Yang, Graciete Lo, Ming Tu, Olivia Wu, Deidre Anglin, Anne Saw, Fang Pei Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Encounters with Western psychiatric treatment and acculturation may influence causal beliefs of psychiatric illness endorsed by Chinese immigrant relatives, thus affecting help seeking. We examined causal beliefs held by 46 Chinese immigrant relatives and found that greater acculturation was associated with an increased number of causal beliefs. Further, as Western psychiatric treatment and acculturation increased, causal models expanded to incorporate biological/physical causes. However, frequency of Chinese immigrant relatives’ endorsing spiritual beliefs did not appear to change with acculturation. Clinicians might thus account for spiritual beliefs in treatment even after acculturation increases and biological causal models proliferate.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)19-39
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

Keywords

  • Acculturation
  • Causal beliefs
  • Chinese
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Immigrant
  • Schizophrenia
  • Treatment contact

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Demography
  • Geography, Planning and Development

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