Skip to main content
Log in

Approaching the “Resistant:” Exploring East Asian International Students’ Perceptions of Therapy and Help-Seeking Behavior Before and After They Arrived in the United States

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Contemporary Family Therapy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study we investigated cultural, familial, and individual beliefs that influenced international students’ perceptions of therapy and help-seeking behaviors. Included were changes in perception or behavior before and after the students came to the US, and factors that influenced help-seeking behaviors. Six international students from East Asian countries where English is a foreign language, including Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, and South Korea, were interviewed. We used semi-structured interviews and participant observations for collecting data. The findings indicated changes after students came to the US. Further discussions focus on encouraging and discouraging factors relative to seeing therapists, and culturally sensitive interventions for family therapy clinicians.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2001). AAMFT code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, R., & Crane, D. R. (1996). Marriage and family therapy research with ethnic minorities: Current status. American Journal of Family Therapy, 24(1), 3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H. S., & Geer, B. (1960). Participant observation: The analysis of qualitative field data. In R. N. Adams & J. J. Preiss (Eds.), Human organization research: Field relations and techniques (pp. 267–289). Homewood, IL: Dorsey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bengtson, V. L., Acock, A. C., Allen, K. R., Dilworth-Anderson, P., & Klein, D. M. (Eds.). (2005). Sourcebook of family theory and research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brucker, P. S., & Perry, B. J. (1998). American Indians: Presenting concerns and considerations for family therapists. American Journal of Family Therapy, 26(4), 307–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charmaz, K. (1983). The grounded theory method: An explication and interpretation. In R. Emerson (Ed.), Contemporary field research (pp. 109–126). Boston: Little, Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crotty, M. (2003). The foundation of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curd, M., & Cover, J. A. (1998). Rationality, objectivity, and values in science. In M. Curd & J. A. Cover (Eds.), Philosophy of science (pp. 210–253). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Reus, L. A., Few, A. L., & Blume, L. B. (2005). Multicultural and critical race feminisms: Theorizing families in the third wave. In V. L. Bengtson, A. C. Acock, K. R. Allen, P. Dilworth-Anderson, & D. M. Klein (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theory and research (pp. 447–468). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haenfler, R. (2007). Rethinking subcultural resistance: Core value of the straight edge movement. In Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (pp. 309–336). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

  • Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (1995). Ethnography: Principles in practice (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (2008). The developing self. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Child and adolescent development: An advanced course (pp. 216–646). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • 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.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • IIENetwork. (2009). Record numbers of international students in US higher education. December 1, 2009, from http://www.iie.org/en/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Press-Center/Press-Releases/2009/2009-11-16-Open-Doors-2009-International-Students-in-the-US.

  • Keeling, M. L., & Nielson, L. R. (2005). Indian women’s experience of a narrative intervention using art and writing. Contemporary Family Therapy, 27(3), 435–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kilinc, A., & Granello, P. F. (2003). Overall life satisfaction and help-seeking attitudes of Turkish college students in the United States: Implications for college counselors. Journal of College Counseling, 6(1), 56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, B. S. K., & Omizo, M. M. (2003). Asian cultural values, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and willingness to see a counselor. The Counseling Psychologist, 31(3), 343–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, B. S. K., Yang, P. H., Atkinson, D. R., Wolfe, M. M., & Hong, S. (2001). Cultural value similarities and differences among Asian American ethnic groups. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 7(4), 343–361.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klineberg, O., & Hull, F. W., I. V. (1979). At a Foreign University: An international study of adaptation and coping. New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRossa, R., & Reitzes, D. C. (1993). Symbolic interactionism and family studies. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRossa, R., Simonds, W., & Reitzes, D. C. (2005). Culture, cognition, and parenthood. In V. L. Bengtson, A. C. Acock, K. R. Allen, P. Dilworth-Anderson, & D. M. Klein (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theory and research (pp. 423–446). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, E., & Mock, M. R. (2005). Asian families: An overview. In M. McGoldrick, J. Giordano, & N. Garcia-Preto (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy. New York: NY: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lim, B. K., & Ivey, D. (2000). The assessment of marital adjustment with Chinese populations: A study of the psychometric properties of the dyadic adjustment scale. Contemporary Family Therapy, 22(4), 453–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1986). But is it rigorous? Trustworthiness and authenticity in naturalistic evaluation. In New directions for program evaluation (Vol. 30, pp. 72–84). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

  • Lofland, J., & Lofland, L. H. (1995). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madni, A. (2008). Do the perceptions of the usefulness of academic support services influence ethnically diverse students’ help-seeking attitudes and behaviors? Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California.

  • McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (2005). Overview: Ethnicity and family therapy. In M. McGoldrick, J. Giordano, & N. Garcia-Preto (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd ed.). New York: The Guilford Publications, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mittal, M., & Wieling, E. (2006). Training experiences of international doctoral students in marriage and family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 32(3), 369–383.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parr, G., Bradley, L., & Bingi, R. (1992). Concerns and feelings of international students. Journal of American College Students Development, 33, 20–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Bureau of the Census. (2009). 2010 Census integrated communications campaign synopsis.

  • Wolcott, H. F. (1994). Transforming qualitative data: Description, analysis, and interpretation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yi, J. K., Lin, J. C. G., & Kishimoto, Y. (2003). Utilization of counseling services by international students. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 30(4), 333–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zavella, P. (1993). Feminist insider dilemmas: Constructing ethnic identity with “Chicana” informants. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 13(3), 53–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, N. (1999). Acculturation and counseling expectancies: Asian international students’ attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Ph.D. Dissertation, Ball State University, Indiana. Retrieved March 01, 2009, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=729754981&Fmt=7&clientId=30345&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

  • Zhang, N., & Dixon, D. N. (2003). Acculturation and attitudes of Asian international students toward seeking psychological help. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 31(3), 205–222.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hao-Min Chen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, HM., Lewis, D.C. Approaching the “Resistant:” Exploring East Asian International Students’ Perceptions of Therapy and Help-Seeking Behavior Before and After They Arrived in the United States. Contemp Fam Ther 33, 310–323 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-011-9154-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-011-9154-6

Keywords

Navigation