The Influence of Cultural Health Beliefs on Self-Reported Mental Health Status and Mental Health Service Utilization in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Older Adults

Abstract

Beliefs about health are influenced by culture; psychological phenomena are interpreted and dealt with in diverse ways across cultures. Cultural health beliefs are especially important in the area of mental health in which there is often an aversion toward seeking help, especially outside the family, and client behavior is often regarded as problematic (Williams & Healy, 2001). Guided by the Health Beliefs Model (Rosenstock, 1990), we explored the influence of cultural health beliefs, physical health, ethnicity, and gender on self-reported general mental health and the use of mental health services in a racially diverse sample (African American (N = 56), non-Hispanic White (N = 140)) of adults aged 65 years and older. The sample was obtained from a rural, economically disadvantaged county in southwest Virginia in 2005. Results from the hierarchical and logistic regression analyses are reported, followed by discussion and recommendations.

KEYWORDS:

• cultural health beliefs
• ethnic minority
• service utilization
• mental health