title: Effects of Increased Psychiatric Treatment Contact and Acculturation on the Causal Beliefs of Chinese Immigrant Relatives of Individuals with Psychosis.
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 forty-six 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.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Department of Epidemiology, Assistant Professor, 722 West 168 Street, Room 1610, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: National Center on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder- University of Hawaii.
authors.forename: Graciete
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: New York University Counseling Psychology Program.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Long Island University Clinical Psychology Program.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: City University of New York Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Deidre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anglin
authors.affiliation: University of California, Davis, School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Social Work.
authors.forename: Fang-Pei
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: Acculturation; Causal Beliefs; Chinese; Culture; Family; Immigrant; Schizophrenia; Treatment Contact