Causal Beliefs, Acculturation and Mental Health Stigma among Indian Immigrants in the United States

Mental health stigma continues to remain a challenge for those individuals with mental illness and often is a barrier towards help-seeking and social acceptance. It is therefore essential to understand the factors that cause and maintain mental health stigma in order to develop effective strategies to address it. Little is known about the mental health challenges faced by South Asians, particularly first-generation Asian Indians living in the United States. The present study examined the effect of causal attributions and acculturation on stigmatizing behavioral responses. In addition, the study explored the relationship between cultural causal attributions and stigma to broaden our knowledge on one of the largest growing immigrant group in the United States. One-hundred and thirty-seven (n = 137) first generation Indian immigrants completed measures that assessed their causal beliefs, levels of acculturation and stigma towards severe mental illness. Multiple linear regressions showed that genetic causal attributions were positively associated with avoidance. Participants who endorsed stronger neurobiological causal beliefs endorsed lesser avoidance. In this sample, cultural causal attributions did not predict stigma. However, it was also found that participants who rated high on mainstream acculturation and low on heritage maintenance and believed more in culturally relevant causes were more likely to provide help. This study has implications for developing culturally relevant anti-stigma interventions which may be effective in reducing stigma in the Indian immigrant population in the United States.