Despite the promise of school-based mental health (SBMH) in increasing access to mental health services among Asian American (AA) youth, these youth continue to underutilize such services. Although initial research has sought to examine disparities among SBMH service use, these studies have been few in number and have almost exclusively used survey methodology. Accordingly, this study sought to obtain in-depth information from urban-residing, first- and second-generation AA immigrant youth regarding their perceptions of SBMH services, as well as their recommendations for how schools can seek to better engage and address the mental health needs of these students. Thirty-three (n = 33; 58% female) school-aged AA youth participated in focus groups. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Themes related to awareness and misconceptions of SBMH, as well as positive and negative views of SBMH services, emerged from the students' responses. Further, several recommendations were emphasized, including (a) providing psychoeducation about mental health and services, (b) engaging students and parents, and (c) maintaining privacy and confidentiality. Findings have implications for the development and tailoring of SBMH services for first- and second-generation AA immigrant youth. © 2018 American Psychological Association.

Immigrant Mental health school Asian American Adolescents

perception immigrant mental health service psychoeducation human controlled study Confidentiality student male Asian American female juvenile clinical article Article awareness adult grounded theory privacy human experiment