Determinants of stigma against help-seeking in schools and help-seeking behaviors of Asian American and Latinx youth experiencing internalizing problems.

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined individual and school factors related to stigma against seeking mental health support among Asian American and Latinx youth and tested whether stigma moderated the link between internalizing symptoms and help-seeking behaviors across different sources of support.

Methods: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional, routine school-based mental health needs assessment. The sample included 1,371 Asian American and 801 Latinx students in Grades 4-12 (M_Grade = 8.52; 51.10% male, 45.72% female, 3.18% prefer not to say). Help-seeking from adults, peers, and professionals was assessed. Multilevel linear and moderated multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted accounting for nesting within schools.

Results: Results revealed that younger students, Asian American youth (compared to Latinx youth), students who preferred not to share their gender (compared to male students), and youth experiencing internalizing symptoms endorsed higher stigma against help-seeking. Stigma significantly moderated the relationship between internalizing symptoms and help-seeking for both Asian American and Latinx youth for different sources of support. Results indicated that stigma was a barrier for Asian American youth with internalizing symptoms when seeking support from adults, but not from peers or formal services. Meanwhile, stigma was a barrier for Latinx youth seeking support from peers and formal services, but not from adults.

Conclusions: Findings highlight that high stigma is a barrier to seeking help among Asian American and Latinx youth experiencing internalizing symptoms across different sources of support. Findings support the need for stigma reduction interventions, with attention to structural influences on stigma and cultural factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).