SiewHo Yeak

Bio: SiewHo Yeak is an academic researcher from Fremantle Hospital. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mental health & Qualitative research. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 164 citations.

Factors that influence Asian communities' access to mental health care.

Abstract: This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study to identify factors that influence Asian communities' access to mental health care and how mental health care is delivered to them. Semistructured interviews were completed with Asian community members/leaders and health-care professionals. Content analysis identified major themes. Participants also completed a demographic data sheet. The research aimed to provide health professionals with an increased understanding of the values and beliefs held by people from Asian communities regarding the cause and treatment of mental illness. Data analysis identified six main themes that influenced Asian communities' access to mental health care and how mental health care is delivered to them. They were: shame and stigma; causes of mental illness; family reputation; hiding up; seeking help; and lack of collaboration. The findings highlighted that people from Asian communities are unwilling to access help from mainstream services because of their beliefs, and that stigma and shame are key factors that influence this reluctance. The findings also highlight that the mental health needs of refugee women are significant, and that they comprise a vulnerable group within Australian society.

Barriers to mental health treatment: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.

Abstract: BackgroundThe aim was to examine barriers to initiation and continuation of treatment among individuals with common mental disorders in the US general population.MethodRespondents in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication with common 12-month DSM-IV mood, anxiety, substance, impulse control and childhood disorders were asked about perceived need for treatment, structural barriers and attitudinal/evaluative barriers to initiation and continuation of treatment.ResultsLow perceived need was reported by 44.8% of respondents with a disorder who did not seek treatment. Desire to handle the problem on one's own was the most common reason among respondents with perceived need both for not seeking treatment (72.6%) and for dropping out of treatment (42.2%). Attitudinal/evaluative factors were much more important than structural barriers both to initiating (97.4% v. 22.2%) and to continuing (81.9% v. 31.8%) of treatment. Reasons for not seeking treatment varied with illness severity. Low perceived need was a more common reason for not seeking treatment among individuals with mild (57.0%) than moderate (39.3%) or severe (25.9%) disorders, whereas structural and attitudinal/evaluative barriers were more common among respondents with more severe conditions.ConclusionsLow perceived need and attitudinal/evaluative barriers are the major barriers to treatment seeking and staying in treatment among individuals with common mental disorders. Efforts to increase treatment seeking and reduce treatment drop-out need to take these barriers into consideration as well as to recognize that barriers differ as a function of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

“Boys don't cry”: Examination of the links between endorsement of masculine norms, self-stigma, and help-seeking attitudes for men from diverse backgrounds.

Abstract: The role of conformity to dominant U.S. masculine norms as an antecedent to help-seeking attitudes in men has been established using convenience samples made up largely of college-age and European American males. However, the role of conformity to masculine norms on help-seeking attitudes for noncollege-age men or for men from diverse backgrounds is not well understood. To fill this gap in the literature, the present study examined the cross-cultural relevance of a mediational model of the relationships between conformity to dominant U.S. masculine norms and attitudes toward counseling through the mediator of self-stigma of seeking counseling for 4,773 men from both majority and nonmajority populations (race/ethnicity and sexual orientation). Structural equation modeling results showed that the model established using college males from majority groups (European American, heterosexual) may be applicable to a community sample of males from differing racial/ethnic groups and sexual orientations. However, some important differences in the presence and strengths of the relationships between conformity to dominant masculine norms and the other variables in the model were present across different racial/ethnic groups and sexual orientations. These findings suggest the need to pay specific theoretical and clinical attention to how conformity to dominant masculine norms and self-stigma are linked to unfavorable attitudes toward help seeking for these men, in order to encourage underserved men's help-seeking behavior.

Barriers to Care: The Challenges for Canadian Refugees and their Health Care Providers

Abstract: Much of the existing research literature on the health of immigrant populations does not address the health care experiences of refugees, even though they likely experience unique and different health care needs relative to economic or family class immigrants. The objective of this paper is to explore the systemic barriers to health care access experienced by Canada’s refugee populations. The paper focuses on understanding these challenges as expressed by health and social service providers at the local level in Hamilton, Ontario. Data from interviews illustrate the impact of these systemic barriers for both refugees and providers. The paper examines issues of interpretation/language, cultural competency, health care coverage, isolation, poverty, and transportation in terms of health care and availability of services.

Mental illness stigma and willingness to seek mental health care in the European Union.

Abstract: It is often assumed that individual stigmatizing attitudes toward the mentally ill are linked to stigmatizing attitudes in the social milieu and that both, individual and social stigmatizing attitudes are major barriers to mental health treatment seeking. This study aims to examine these assumptions. Data from the 2005–2006 Eurobarometer general population survey (N = 29,248) are used to examine the association of social stigmatizing attitudes assessed in a random half of the sample with individual stigmatizing attitudes assessed in the other half of the sample, and to examine the association of both individual and social stigmatizing attitudes with willingness to seek professional help. Social stigmatizing attitudes are specifically and strongly associated with individual stigmatizing attitudes. Both social and individual stigmatizing attitudes are associated with willingness to seek professional help. Believing the mentally ill to be dangerous or not likely to recover, or living in a community with such beliefs, are associated with increased willingness to seek help; whereas, believing the mentally ill to be unpredictable or blameworthy for their illness, or living in a community with strong beliefs in blameworthiness of the mentally ill, are associated with decreased willingness to seek professional help. The view that all stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness are associated with reluctance to seek professional help may be naive as some stigmatizing attitudes may be associated with increased willingness to seek help. The complex association of different stigmatizing attitudes with professional help seeking should be carefully considered in planning anti-stigma campaigns.

Discrimination and mental health-related service use in a national study of Asian Americans.

Abstract: Objectives. We examined the association between perceived discrimination and use of mental health services among a national sample of Asian Americans.Methods. Our data came from the National Latino and Asian American Study, the first national survey of Asian Americans. Our sample included 600 Chinese, 508 Filipinos, 520 Vietnamese, and 467 other Asians (n=2095). We used logistic regression to examine the association between discrimination and formal and informal service use and the interactive effect of discrimination and English language proficiency.Results. Perceived discrimination was associated with more use of informal services, but not with less use of formal services. Additionally, higher levels of perceived discrimination combined with lower English proficiency were associated with more use of informal services.Conclusions. The effect of perceived discrimination and language proficiency on service use indicates a need for more bilingual services and more collaborations between formal service syste...