Religiosity,spirituality, and help‐seeking among Filipino Americans: Religious clergy or mental health professionals?

Data from structured interviews with 2,285 respondents for the Filipino American Community Epidemiological Survey (FACES) were used to examine help‐seeking for emotional distress among Filipino Americans. The influence of religious affiliation, religiosity, and spirituality upon help‐seeking from religious clergy and mental health professionals was assessed after controlling for need (e.g., negative life events, SCL‐90R scores, and somatic symptoms), demographic (e.g., age, gender, marital status, education, county of residence, generational status, and insurance coverage), and cultural variables (e.g., loss of face and language abilities). Rates of help‐seeking from religious clergy versus mental health professionals were comparable (2.5% vs. 2.9%). High religiosity was associated with more help‐seeking from religious clergy but not less help‐seeking from mental health professionals, whereas high spirituality was associated with less mental health help‐seeking. Implications for understanding how religious variables affect help‐seeking were explored. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 675–689, 2004.