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Mental Health Literacy and Perceptions among West African Immigrants in the United States
Kuofie, Araba A
Kuofie, Araba A
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Abstract
The West African population represents the largest African immigrant group in the US. Despite this representation, West African immigrants are underrepresented in clinical research in general, and in assessing their mental health needs in particular. This is of concern considering the increased rates of mental health needs among this group compared to the diminished utilization rates of mental health services. In assessing this need, this study aimed to understand the factors that influence the perceptions and management of mental health needs among West African immigrants in the US. Cross-sectional data was collected on 85 West African immigrants, 18+ years of age, from the Kansas City, Missouri and Lawrence, Kansas areas. Participants were recruited from various African student organizations, community associations and churches servicing West Africans immigrants. Surveys were administered assessing each respondent’s mental health/illness knowledge, beliefs, help-seeking behaviors, and levels of acculturation. Results show that this group is knowledgeable about mental health issues and are willing to seek professional psychological services. This group also exhibited high levels of acculturation and were likely to perceive the cause of mental illnesses as interactions between an individual and the social environment. Lastly, analysis of group differences revealed that older adults had higher levels of mental health literacy and lower levels of acculturation. This study demonstrates the importance of assessing within group variability among the Black (immigrant) population in the US. Grouping Africans into a singular category can lead to erroneous conclusions, which may have unintended or detrimental effects in mental health service planning and resource allocation. Therefore, a better understanding of the impact of culture on the mental health issues of this specific population can inform the delivery of equitable and culturally sensitive mental health services.
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Date
2018-01-01
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University of Kansas
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This item contains archived web content.
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Kuofie_ku_0099M_16305.pdf
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Keywords
Acculturation, Culture, Immigrant, Mental health literacy, Mental health perceptions, West African