Acculturation and enculturation, stigma toward psychological disorders, and treatment preferences in a Mexican American sample: The role of education in reducing stigma.

Abstract

Although Latinas/os report that conventional psychological treatments, such as outpatient and inpatient psychological interventions, are their preferred treatment option for psychological concerns, they also seek culturally relevant religious treatments (e.g., seeing a priest, using indigenous healers, seeking faith-based treatment). Previous research has demonstrated that higher acculturation was associated with preferences for conventional psychological treatment, whereas higher enculturation was associated with preferences for culturally relevant religious treatment strategies among Latinas/os. The strong negative views toward psychological disorders held by some minority groups seem likely to affect treatment preferences and treatment seeking behavior. Levels of stigma toward psychological disorders, however, may be mitigated by level of education. The current study investigated the roles of acculturation and enculturation levels and stigma toward psychological disorders in treatment-seeking preferences in a Mexican American student sample. The results indicated that higher levels of enculturation were associated with stronger preference for culturally relevant religious treatment and no treatment, respectively. Elevated negative beliefs toward psychological disorders mediated the relationship between enculturation levels and no-treatment preferences only among first and second year college students. Acculturation had no effect on any of the treatment preferences or stigma. These findings suggest the differential role of acculturation and enculturation in treatment preferences and stigma in Mexican Americans, and also suggest the importance of implementing efforts to reduce the stigma attached to psychological disorders through education.

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