Abstract
The goals of this study were to (a) examine if stigma against ASD is predicted by high levels of acculturation, low socioeconomic status, low levels of education, and the lack of intention to seek help from a mental health professional, and (b) examine potential differences between Hispanics and Non-Hispanics on these predictors. I predicted higher levels of acculturation and lower levels of education among Hispanic/Latin individuals than non- Hispanic/Latin individuals, and that mature Hispanic/Latin individuals will have higher levels of acculturation and lower levels of education compared to their younger counterparts.
The data were collected via a Qualtrics survey distributed through social media and SONA, a mechanism at the University of Texas at Tyler that connects students to research. The survey included The Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q; Harrison et al., 2017), the Mental Help Seeking Intention Scale (MHSIS; Hammer & Spiker, 2018), a Likert scale to assess acculturation, and a demographic questionnaire. The results suggest that (a) only acculturation and education predicted stigma toward ASD, (b) Hispanics reported higher levels of acculturation and lower levels of education than non-Hispanics, and (c) mature Hispanics reported higher levels of acculturation and lower levels of education than younger Hispanics. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Date of publication
Summer 8-26-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/4026
Committee members
Eric Stocks, Michael Barnett, Olga Berkout
Degree
Masters in Clinical Psychology with Neuropsychology
Recommended Citation
Morales, Jill, "Potential Causes of Stigma Toward Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Hispanic/Latin Community" (2022). Psychology and Counseling Theses. Paper 19.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/4026