Zach Kunkel

Mexicans and Mexican Americans are a rapidly growing group within the United States, and this population faces challenges that may require different forms of support than other groups. To better understand these needs, it is important to learn more about the cultural differences that make up an individual’s ethnic identity and how they may impact the type of psychological care that is most beneficial to them. One value that may influence what someone of Mexican heritage needs from psychotherapy is ingenio, defined by Vélez (2022) as the value of finding creative solutions to problems. To study the impact of this value on the willingness of Mexican Americans to seek out professional mental health care, members of this population were surveyed about their willingness to seek out professional mental health care, endorsement of the value of ingenio, and acculturation level. It is hypothesized that there will be a negative relationship between endorsement of ingenio and willingness to seek out professional mental health care among individuals who are highly acculturated to the US, while this relationship will be present at an insignificant level in individuals with low acculturation levels. Findings from this study may help inform how we create materials for mental health literacy, as being mindful of the value of ingenio may impact how effective the materials are. Implications from these findings may also suggest that therapeutic interventions that utilize ingenio as a strength could be more relevant to patients' lives and therefore lead to more beneficial outcomes.