A test of Cramer's (1999) help-seeking model and acculturation effects with Asian and Asian American college students

Abstract

The generalizability of K. M. Cramer's (1999) help-seeking model was examined for Asian and Asian American college students. The construct of acculturation was then added to Cramer's model to determine if it would improve the model fit. Asian and Asian American (n = 202) students completed help-seeking measures and behavioral and value-based measures of acculturation. White (n = 336) students completed only help-seeking measures. Although path analyses showed that Cramer's model fit both samples, structural invariance analysis indicated differential model functioning between groups that can be primarily attributed to self-concealment, a concept central to understanding Asians' and Asian Americans' attitudes toward help seeking. The addition of acculturation, especially adherence to Asian value, to Cramer's model improved model fit. Copyright 2005 by the American Psychological Association.