Acculturation, civic engagement, and help-seeking behaviors in the Latinx community

Date

1/9/2019

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Abstract

This research study examined the impact of civic engagement and acculturation on the help-seeking behaviors of Latinx individuals living in the United States as well as examine civic engagement as a mediator between acculturation and help-seeking behavior. The likelihood of engaging in help-seeking behaviors is related to race and inversely related to acculturation, with White individuals and more acculturated Latinx individuals engaged in more help-seeking behaviors than less acculturated Latinx individuals (Sabina, Cuevas, & Schally, 2012b). Civic engagement entails a similar process as acculturation by forming social networks within a community and is typically less present in the Latinx community. A demographic form created by the researcher, the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II, Civic Engagement Scale, the Digital Citizenship Scale, the researcher-created Informal Help-Seeking Questionnaire, and the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help were administered through an online survey in PsychData. Ninety participants completed the survey of whom 90% identified as women and 10% identified as men. A series of regression analyses was used to analyze the hypotheses on acculturation, civic engagement, and help-seeking behaviors. Based on the results, it appeared that there is no significant positive relationship between acculturation and help-seeking behaviors for Latinx individuals. Civic engagement and acculturation did not appear to have a statistically significant positive relationship therefore, civic engagement was not shown to be a mediator in the relationship between acculturation and help-seeking behaviors. Limitations and implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

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Keywords

help-seeking, Latinx, civic enagagement, acculturation

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