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Description
Background: Among the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) population, there is a gap in mental health (MH) utilization and seeking support for anxiety and depression (Wu et al., 2021). Adolescents experience a higher risk for self-isolating behaviors and struggle to find appropriate support (Ai et al., 2022; Santos & Kawabata, 2023). Based on cultural and socio-political contexts, what is the occupational impact on AAPI adolescents? How do cultural factors impact the utilization of community-based MH services?
Method: A convergent mixed methods study of unobtrusive data (n = 14), surveys (n = 29), and interviews (n = 4) was conducted to assess the occupational harmony between occupational performance and MH supports. Reflexive thematic analysis of the unobtrusive data and interviews provided overlying themes, whereas graphical analysis of survey responses provided visual descriptors.
Results: Family and cultural values have a strong relationship affecting how adolescents develop their values. Most AAPI adolescents are not familiar with MH supports (41%) and rarely sought external support (38%) or resources (83%). The rate of occupational harmony is skewed left with a moderate alignment of roles (mean = 6.69, SD = 1.58) and harmony (mean = 6.41, 1.52).
Conclusion: The cultural impact on occupations and responsiveness to mental health services are significant in supporting adolescents to find belonging and community. Occupational therapists within MH settings may acknowledge the cultural and spiritual differences to provide appropriate services to promote mental wellness resources.
Publication Date
Spring 4-21-2025
Publisher
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
Keywords
Asian american pacific islander (AAPI), Occupations, Community mental health services, Occupational therapy, Depression, Anxiety, Adolescent, Personal autonomy
Medical Subject Headings
Asian american pacific islander (AAPI), Community mental health services, Occupational therapy, Adolescent
Disciplines
Occupational Therapy | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies | Sociology of Culture
Recommended Citation
Chew, J., & Park, K. (2025, April 21). Discovering the Cultural Impacts on Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) Occupations from Adolescent Experiences. Poster presented at the Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, University of St Augustine for Health Sciences. Retrieved from https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/65
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Occupational Therapy Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons
Comments
Poster presented at the in-person OTD Capstone Symposium, held at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences on April 21, 2025.