Abstract
Asian students comprise over half of all international students in the United States, yet little is known about their help-seeking behaviors and preferences for mental health professionals. The purpose of this study was to use conjoint analysis to examine characteristics of mental health professionals influencing Korean international students’ preferences when choosing a mental health professional. Korean international students from three universities in the United States were recruited on a volunteer basis to participate in this study (N = 114). Results indicated that mental health professional characteristics, including ethnicity, age, professional identity, and training institution, were significant factors in students’ preference formation; however, gender of the mental health professional was not found to be a significant factor in the present study. Ethnic similarity was the most powerful predictor of preference formation. Implications for promoting help-seeking and mental health service utilization among Asian international students are discussed.
References
American Marketing Association. (1992). Conjoint analysis: A guide for designing and interpreting conjoint studies. Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association, Market Research Division.
Atkinson, D. R., & Lowe, S. M. (1995). The role of ethnicity, cultural knowledge, and conventional techniques in counseling and psychotherapy. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 387–414). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Aubrey, R. (1991). International students on campus: A challenge for counselors, medical providers, and clinicians. Smith College Student Social Work, 62, 20–33.
Bernier, A., & Dozier, M. (2002). The client–counselor match and the corrective emotional experience: Evidence from interpersonal and attachment research. Psychotherapy: Theory/Research/Practice/Training, 39, 32–43.
Beutler, L. E., Malik, M., Alimohamed, S., Harwood, T. M., Talebi, H., Noble, S., et al. (2004). Therapist variables. In M. J. Lambert (Ed.), Bergin and Garfield’s handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (5th ed., pp. 227–306). New York: Wiley
Byon, K. H., Chan, F., & Thomas, K. R. (1999). Korean international students’ expectations about counseling. Journal of College Counseling, 2(2), 99–109.
Carter, R. T., & Forsyth, J. (2010). Reactions to racial discrimination: Emotional stress and help-seeking behaviors. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2(3), 183–191. doi:10.1037/a0020102.
Coleman, H. L. K., Wampold, B. F., & Casali, S. L. (1995). Ethnic minorities’ ratings of ethnically similar and European American counselors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42, 55–64.
Dadfar, S., & Friedlander, M. L. (1982). Differential attitudes of international students toward seeking professional psychological help. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 29, 335–338.
Flaskerud, J. H., & Liu, P. Y. (1991). Effects of an Asian client–therapist language, ethnicity and gender match on utilization and outcome of therapy. Community Mental Health Journal, 27(1), 31–42.
Fujino, D. C., Okazaki, S., & Young, K. (1994). Asian-American women in the mental health system: An examination of ethnic and gender match between therapist and client. Journal of Community Psychology, 22(2), 164–176.
Green, P. E., & Srinivasan, V. (1978). Conjoint analysis in consumer research: Issues and outlook. Journal of Consumer Research, 5, 103–123.
Hall, J., Guterman, D. K., Lee, H. B., & Little, S. G. (2002). Counselor–client matching on ethnicity, gender, and language: Implications for counseling school-aged children. North American Journal of Psychology, 4(3), 367–380.
Hammond, K. R., McClelland, G. H., & Mumpower, J. (1980). Human judgment and decision making. New York: Praeger.
Herrick, C. A., & Brown, H. N. (1998). Underutilization of mental health services by Asian-Americans residing in the United States. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 19, 225–240.
Hsu, J. (1995). Family therapy for the Chinese: Problems and strategies. In T. Y. Lin, W. S. Tseng, & E. K. Yeh (Eds.), Chinese societies and mental health (pp. 295–307). Hong Kong: Oxford University Press.
Hsu, L. K. G., Wan, Y. M., Chang, H., Summergrad, P., Tsang, B. Y. P., & Chen, H. (2008). Stigma of depression is more severe in Chinese Americans than Caucasian Americans. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 71, 210–218.
Hyun, J., Quinn, B., Madon, T., & Lustig, S. (2007). Mental health need, awareness, and use of counseling services among international graduate students. Journal of American College Health, 56(2), 109–118.
Institute of International Education. (2011). Open Doors 2010 fast facts. New York: Author. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors.
Lee, E.-J., Chronister, J., Chan, F., Chan, Y., & Romero, M. (2009). Models, research, and treatment of coexisting depression for people with chronic illness and disability. In F. Chan, E. Cardoso, & J. Chronister (Eds.), Understanding psychosocial adjustment to chronic illness and disability: A handbook for evidence-based practitioners in rehabilitation (pp. 75–107). New York: Springer.
Louvier, J. J. (1988). Analyzing decision making: Metric conjoint analysis. Edmonton, Canada: Sage Publications, Inc.
Mau, W., & Jepsen, D. (1988). Attitudes toward counselors and counseling processes: A comparison of Chinese and American graduate students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 189–192.
Meyer, O., Zane, N., & Cho, Y. I. (2011). Understanding the psychological processes of the racial match effect in Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(3), 335–345.
Mulrow, C. D., Williams, J. W., Gerety, M. B., Ramirez, G., Montiel, O. M., & Kerber, C. (1995). Case-finding instruments for depression in primary care settings. Annals of Internal Medicine, 122, 913–921.
Nilsson, J. E., Berkel, L. A., Flores, L. Y., & Lucas, M. S. (2004). Utilization rate and presenting concerns of international students at a university counseling center: Implications for outreach programming. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 19, 49–59.
Radloff, L. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385–401.
Simons, H. W., Berkowitz, N. N., & Moyers, R. J. (1970). Similarity, credibility, and attitude change: A review and a theory. Psychological Bulletin, 73, 1–16.
Sodowsky, G. R., Kwan, K. K., & Pannu, R. (1995). Ethnic identity of Asians in the United States. In J. G. Ponteretto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 123–154). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
SPSS Inc. (1997). SPSS Conjoint 8.0. Chicago, IL: SPSS Inc.
Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Tsang, W. H., Tam, K. C., Chan, F., & Cheung, W. M. (2003). Stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with mental illness in Hong Kong: Implications for their recovery. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 383–396.
Tseng, W., & Newton, F. (2002). International students’ strategies for well-being. Journal of College Studies, 36, 591–597.
Wei, M., Heppner, P. P., Mallen, M. J., Ku, T. Y., Liao, K. Y.-H., & Wu, T.-F. (2007). Acculturative stress, perfectionism, years in the United States, and depression among Chinese international students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 385–394.
Wei, M., Ku, T. Y., Russell, D. W., & Mallinkrodt, B. (2008). Moderating effects of three coping strategies and self-esteem on perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms: A minority stress model for Asian international students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55, 451–462.
Yi, J. K., Lin, J. G., & Kishimoto, Y. (2003). Utilization of counseling services by international students. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 30, 333–343.
Zane, N., Enomoto, K., & Chun, C. A. (1994). Treatment of outcomes of Asian- and White-American clients in outpatient therapy. Journal of Community Psychology, 22, 177–191.
Zhang, A. Y., Snowden, L. R., & Sue, D. (1998). Differences between Asian and White Americans’ help seeking and utilization patterns in the Los Angeles area. Journal of Community Psychology, 26, 317–326.
Zlotnick, C., Elkin, I., & Shea, M. T. (1998). Does the gender of a patient or the gender of a therapist affect the treatment of patients with major depression? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(4), 655–659.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, EJ., Chan, F., Ditchman, N. et al. Factors Influencing Korean International Students’ Preferences for Mental Health Professionals: A Conjoint Analysis. Community Ment Health J 50, 104–110 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9594-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9594-6