Date
2-28-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Sarah F Walsh
Keywords
Sikh Punjabi immigrant, mental health, help-seeking, stigma, ethnic identity, mental health treatment
Disciplines
Counseling | Psychology
Recommended Citation
Kaur, Manreet, "Ethnic Identity and Acculturation: Mental Health Perceptions and Help-Seeking Behaviors of College-Age Students with Sikh Punjabi Immigrant Parents" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6516.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6516
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of college-age children of Sikh Punjabi immigrant parents who were considering mental health treatment in Pennsylvania. The theory guiding this study was ethnic identity theory, which was developed by Jean Phinney. There were four research questions addressed: (a) How do college-age children of Sikh Punjabi immigrant parents describe their experiences when considering mental health treatment in Pennsylvania? (b) How do participants describe the impact of their parents’ perceptions regarding mental health when contemplating seeking mental health treatment? (c) How do participants describe their experiences discussing mental health–related topics with their families, and how does their ethnic identity as Sikh Punjabi individuals influence these discussions? and (d) How do participants describe the impact of sources outside of their families when considering mental health treatment? Semi structured interviews were conducted through the virtual platform Microsoft Teams with 10 participants, and common themes were derived from the data. The researcher completed data analysis using Dovetail software. Results revealed that Sikh Punjabi immigrant parents had a negative impact on their college-age children’s perceptions of mental health. Seeking mental health treatment carried stigma and shame. The results also revealed that discussions of mental health with families were not common, and outside sources were identified as a bigger support system regarding mental health and treatment.
