Advisory Committee Chair
Patricia Drentea
Advisory Committee Members
Elizabeth Baker
Greg Pavela
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2017
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
While several studies have shown that US-born Asian Americans and Latinos are more likely to use mental health services than their foreign-born counterparts, the effects of generation status and familial support is unclear. Furthermore, little is known about these associations and how they affect older adults. According to the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST), as adults begin transition into advanced age, they begin to withdraw from broader social networks to focus on more intimate relations, such as those with children. In applying modernization theory to the family and aging, this theory would suggest that the status of older adults in families in advanced economic societies is lowered and overshadowed by a tendency to focus on the wellbeing of one’s own nuclear family - not their aging parents. Using data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), the aim of this thesis is to test these theories as they apply to the associations between first- and second-generation Asian Americans and Latinos, familial support, and the use of mental health services. Key words: Familial support, mental health, service use, Asian Americans, Latinos, older adults, immigrant generation.
Recommended Citation
Valles, Jessica Lynn, "Familial Support And Mental Health Service Use: Differences Among First- And Second-Generation Asian American And Latino Older Adults" (2017). All ETDs from UAB. 3204.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3204