The mental health help seeking process for Asian youth living in Western countries: A decoloniality informed scoping review

The Asian diaspora has become one of the largest in the world with an increasing number of multigenerational Asian migrants residing in the West. Asian people in the West experience disproportionately high rates of mental health issues and are simultaneously less likely to seek help from Western mental health services. This scoping review synthesises literature about the mental health help seeking process for youth aged 12 to 24 years from South, Southeast and East Asia who are living in Australia, United States of America (US), United Kingdom (UK) and New Zealand. It also examines the assumptions and theories underpinning the framing of the problems and solutions in the literature. Five electronic databases were searched producing a total of 2499 publication results, of which 82 met the inclusion criteria. Findings are presented thematically using a decolonial lens. Key themes Asian youth reported included: experiencing high levels of mental health difficulties, holding negative attitudes towards, and experiences of, seeking formal Western support, and positive attitudes towards, and experiences of, seeking informal supports. A major conclusion of the review was the endemic problematisation of Asian culture in the literature, reflecting a colonial dynamic. Structural factors that impact mental health help seeking, including the imposition of Eurocentric mental health frameworks on Asian populations are rarely addressed in the literature. Future research, policy and practice should explore Asian youth mental health and help seeking from a structural and systemic lens which may include decolonial, culturally centred and abolitionist approaches.