Publication Date

2013-09-25

Availability

Open access

Embargo Period

2013-09-25

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD)

Department

Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Date of Defense

2013-08-23

First Committee Member

Etiony Aldarondo

Second Committee Member

Rosa Guarda-Gonzalez

Third Committee Member

Soyeon Ahn

Fourth Committee Member

Kent Burnett

Abstract

This dissertation explored help seeking for mental health concerns in migrant workers using a community-based mixed-methods design. Specifically, the study asked two sets of questions; the first explored individual-level predictors of help seeking and the second focused on contextual-level factors related to mental health, well-being, and help seeking. Participants were 95 Latina/o migrant workers living in South Florida. A portion of these individuals participated in the qualitative phase. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to answer the first set of questions. Results indicated informal help seeking was predicted by gender, acculturation, coping strategy, depressive symptomology, and attitudes toward seeking professional help. Five themes emerged from directed content analysis of focus group and interview data. The current study found that migrant workers experience significant levels of depressive symptomology, which is consistent with the literature on the mental and physical health of migrant workers. A unique contribution is the moderator analysis, which found that the level of depressive symptomology moderated the effect of religious coping on help seeking. From the perspective of participants, the centrality of children appeared as a protective factor in their lives. The implications of these findings for practice, research, and policy are discussed.

Keywords

Migrant workers; Latinos; disparities; help seeking

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