Understanding Korean Americans' Mental Health: A Guide to Culturally Competent Practices, Program Developments, and Policies

The Korean American community in the United States faces significant mental health challenges, despite being considered a model minority. This book explores the connection between cultural stigma, racial prejudice, and mental health issues in the community, highlighting the need for more culturally competent practices and policies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 408 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

The Korean American community is a significant Asian ethnic subgroup in the United States, often considered a model minority due to its academic and professional achievements. However, despite their successes, members of this community face significant mental health challenges that go unaddressed. In their book, Understanding Korean Americans Mental Health: A Guide to Culturally Competent Practices, Program Developments, and Policies, Anderson Sungmin Yoon, Sung Seek Moon, and Haein Son examine a range of mental health issues prevalent among Korean Americans, including depression, suicide, substance abuse, and trauma. They convincingly link these challenges to cultural stigma and racial prejudice, highlighting the neglect of this population's mental health needs by mainstream mental health services.

The editors argue that the cultural values that constitute the Korean American community contribute to its members' reluctance to seek care. Factors such as familial and communal shame are cited as major barriers to mental health treatment. This book provides statistical evidence to support these claims and aims to gather the limited research available on the topic to emphasize the heightened prevalence of mental health issues among Korean Americans. The contributors offer recommendations for more culturally competent practices, program developments, and policies to address these challenges and improve the well-being of the Korean American community.

Understanding Korean Americans Mental Health is a valuable resource for mental health professionals, educators, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding and addressing the mental health needs of this diverse population. By recognizing the cultural factors that contribute to mental health issues and advocating for more inclusive and culturally competent practices, we can work towards creating a healthier and more supportive environment for all members of the Korean American community.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793636478