Therapy Fears and Help-Seeking Behaviors among Mothers: Examining Racial Differences in Mental Health Services

In the United States, approximately 20% of children and adolescents meet diagnostic criteria for a mentalhealth diagnosis, but few receive treatment. The purpose of the current study was to explore the factors thatcontribute to help-seeking among mothers from diverse ethnic groups (52.5% European American/White, 23%African American/Black, and 24.6% Latinx). Participants were 122 mothers recruited from 2014 to 2017 through aconvenience sample in Central Texas. Using MANOVA, results indicated that mother with no history of therapy usereported more fears about seeking therapy for children. Additionally, there was a trend towards African Americanmothers reporting more fears about therapists' responsiveness and image concerns. Finally, therapy fearssignificantly predicted mother's intentions to delay seeking therapy in the future. Implications for research andpractice are discussed.