Contextualizing Social Support: Pathways to Help Seeking in Latinos, Asian Americans, and Whites

The present study investigated how social support is utilized in diverse ethnic/racial groups and how these patterns of social support utilization affect help seeking for mental health problems. Analyses of a nationally representative sample of Latinos (n = 2,554), Asian Americans (n = 2,095), and Whites (n = 4,180) were undertaken to investigate ethnic/racial differences in family and friend support and determine whether the association between social support and service use (informal and formal) varies by ethnicity/race, adjusting for demographics, generation status, and lifetime mental health diagnosis. Compared to Whites who had the greatest levels of family and friend support, Latinos reported the lowest level of friend support, while Asian Americans reported the lowest level of family support. Although family support was not a significant predictor of informal or formal treatment for any ethnic/racial group, friend support for Latinos and Asian Americans, in contrast to Whites, was associated with a greater likelihood of seeking lifetime informal treatment. Cultural norms may influence the use of social support among ethnic/racial groups. For Latinos and Asian Americans, greater reliance on and disclosure to friends may potentially initiate a pathway to informal mental health services, perhaps by lessening the stigma associated with service use.