Exploring Approaches to Mental Health in Minority Communities of African Descent

Publication Date

2025

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

SPARK Category

Research

Faculty Advisor

Michael Oliver

WELL Core Type

Emotional Wellness

SPARK Session

Independent Presentation

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

In Western culture, mental health has grown to become an important and more widely discussed topic. As stigmas surrounding mental health issues slowly break, more people are being encouraged to seek out resources to aid their mental well-being, especially through technology and online mental health services. However, this Western cultural phenomenon has not fully translated to minority communities within the West. Specifically, within immigrant Black communities such as African and Caribbean communities, mental health is not a widely discussed topic and is often seen as taboo. African American communities also have a different relationship with mental health than other Americans due to the history of the community in America. Because the immigrant Black community and the African American community share both common traits and differences, it is a point of interest to compare their attitudes toward mental health. This study analyzes how these different communities approach mental health and how technological acceptance within the communities affects access to mental health resources. Participants are asked to self-report if they identify as black, and those who do self-report the cultures they feel most connected to. They then complete the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-21) questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) questionnaire, and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) questionnaire. We will analyze the interaction between the scores of each questionnaire for both African Americans and Black immigrants to observe whether there is a significant difference between the two.

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