Hispanic Immigrants' Intentions to Seek Depression Care

描述（由申请人提供）：关于影响西班牙裔移民寻求精神卫生保健决定的文化和认知过程，我们知之甚少。本文将通过研究三种认知过程——疾病感知、对抑郁症治疗的态度和主观规范——如何影响西班牙裔移民寻求专业护理的意图，来解决文献中的这一差距。基于理性行为理论的概念模型和疾病认知的自我调节模型将用于以下目的：(1)描述患者对抑郁症的疾病感知、对抑郁症治疗的态度和主观规范；(2)研究服务使用的社会心理相关因素如何影响患者对抑郁症的疾病认知、对抑郁症治疗的态度和主观规范；(3)在调整服务使用的社会心理相关因素后，研究患者对抑郁症的疾病认知、对抑郁症治疗的态度和主观规范如何影响他们寻求专业抑郁症治疗的意愿。西班牙裔成年移民（N=130）在初级卫生保健诊所就诊，研究人员将向他们提供一份描述重度抑郁症患者的标准化小插图。通过结构化访谈，患者将被问及他们对抑郁症的看法，对抑郁症治疗的态度，主观规范，以及他们在面对小插图中呈现的场景时寻求抑郁症治疗的意图。将进行分析，以检查服务使用的社会心理相关因素与感兴趣的三种认知过程之间的关系，以及这些过程如何影响寻求抑郁症治疗的意图。本研究的结果可以增加我们对西班牙裔移民患者可能对抑郁症状及其治疗的看法、态度和观念的理解，从而使临床医生能够吸引西班牙裔客户并提供更好的以患者为中心的护理。调查结果还可为开展公共卫生教育运动提供信息。本论文论述了一个欠发达的研究领域，它有可能为西班牙裔移民更好的抑郁症护理的发展提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Little is known about the cultural and cognitive processes that influence Hispanic immigrants' decisions to seek mental health care. This dissertation will address this gap in the literature by studying how three cognitive processes -- illness perceptions, attitudes toward depression treatments, and subjective norms -- influence Hispanic immigrants' intentions to seek professional care. A conceptual model based on the theory of reasoned action and the self-regulatory model of illness cognitions will be used to address the following aims: (1) to describe patients' illness perceptions of depression, attitudes toward depression treatments and subjective norms; (2) to examine how psychosocial correlates of service use influence patients' illness perceptions of depression, attitudes toward depression treatment, and subjective norms; and (3) to examine how patients' illness perceptions of depression, attitudes toward depression treatments, and subjective norms influence their intentions to seek professional depression treatments after adjusting for psychosocial correlates of service use. Hispanic immigrant adults (N=130) attending a primary health care clinic will be presented a standardized vignette depicting an individual with major depression. Through structured interviews, patients will be queried about their perceptions of depression, attitudes toward depression treatments, subjective norms, and their intentions to seek depression care if confronted with the scenario presented in the vignette. Analyses will be conducted to examine the relationships between psychosocial correlates of service use and the three cognitive processes of interest and how these processes influence intentions to seek depression care. Results of this study can add to our understanding of perceptions, attitudes and conceptions that Hispanic immigrant patients may have about depressive symptoms and its treatment, thereby enabling clinicians to engage Hispanic clients and provide better patient-centered care. Findings can also inform the development of public health education campaigns. This dissertation addresses an underdeveloped area of study which has the potential to inform the development of better depression care among Hispanic immigrants.