Abstract
The purpose of this study was to better understand the factors that predict Arab Americans' attitudes towards professional mental health services. The sample (N = 298) includes individuals who self-identified as Arab American. Arab American was defined in this study as one's ethnic background originating from the 22 Arab nations. Participants completed either a paper and pencil survey or an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire and items related to acculturation, ethnic/racial identity, perceived ethnic/racial discrimination, religiosity/spirituality, gender roles, and attitudes towards professional mental health services. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the predictive capability of ethnic identity (MEIM-R; Phinney & Ong, 2007), acculturation (VIA; Ryder, Alden, & Paulhus, 2000), perceived ethnic/racial discrimination (PEDQ-CV; Brondolo et al., 2005), religiosity/spirituality (DSES; Underwood & Teresi, 2002), and gender role attitudes (GRAS; Zeyneloglu & Terzioglu, 2011). Four statistically significant models emerged with adjusted R2 values ranging from .18 to .38. Participants' gender role attitudes and perceived ethnic/racial discrimination were statistically significant predictors in all four of the models. Study findings support the hypothesis that participants' experiences of perceived ethnic/racial discrimination predicted more negative attitudes towards the utilization of formal mental health services. The paper concludes with the study's limitations, clinical implications, and suggestions for future research.