Mental-Illness Stigma Among Korean Immigrants: Role of Culture and Destigmatization Strategies

Mental-illness stigma is a well-documented problem in the Korean American immigrant community, and the need for antistigma programs is widely acknowledged. However, there is limited information on the ways in which this mental-health stigma is manifested in shaping views toward people with mental illness in the Korean-immigrant community-as well as on how to tackle the problem. To address the gap, this study used an exploratory design and 18 key-informant (KI) interviews were conducted via focus-group meetings with key leaders of the Korean-immigrant community in the San Francisco Bay Area. The study findings reveal stigmatized beliefs (e.g., being dangerous, out of control, and abnormal) and behaviors (e.g., social distance) toward people with mental illness, as well as cultural values that reinforce the stigma in the Korean-immigrant community. Our findings demonstrate an urgent need to ameliorate the stigma associated with mental illness. They also suggest that antistigma programs developed for Korean immigrant communities should emphasize community-based education that employs indirect approaches to preserve confidentiality and cultural values, as well as culturally and linguistically competent mental health services. What is the public significance of this article? This study advances psychological well-being of Korean immigrant communities by suggesting plausible strategies for designing culturally tailored antistigma programs. It has implications for clinicians and service providers in the mental health field, as it increases the knowledge base around mental-illness stigma in the context of Korean culture.