Using data gathered over a three-year period in three Southern California towns, the family structure and the reliance on kin for emotional support of Anglo Americans and Mexican Americans were compared. The first year 666 Mexican Americans and 340 Anglos were interviewed. In the second year, 372 Mexican Americans and 163 Anglos were re-interviewed using a more in-depth questionnaire. Also nine Mexican American clients from the local public mental health clinics who volunteered for the survey were added. The third year, which was still in progress, involved tracking 24 Mexican American families for nine months with biweekly interviews. Data indicated that Mexican Americans were much more likely to have large numbers of their relatives living in their community. The Mexican American kin groups were well-integrated and encompassed three or more generations. Anglos, on the other hand, tended to live apart from their extended family or have only a few related households nearby. Both groups relied on their family for help. The primary difference between the emotional support systems of the two groups was in the tendency to turn to informal helpers outside the family. Anglos were more likely to seek help from friends, neighbors, co-workers, and groups. Mexican Americans' main resource, on the other hand, was their extended family. There was relatively little support derived from other informal sources. Both groups often sought aid from more formal sources of support including clergymen and doctors. (NQ)