Resulting from a conference in 1992 sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, the papers in this book represent the fields of psychology, psychiatry, anthropology and epidemiology. The focus is on cross-cultural and acculturative issues in mental health, covering stress and behaviour.
Mexican-Americans now constitute two thirds of what has become the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States, Hispanics. They have distinct cultural patterns and values that those who seek to serve them competently as clinicians and educators, and those who attempt to study them, need to understand. This is the first comprehensive overview of the psychology of the Chicana/o experience since 1984. Solidly grounded in the latest theory and research, much of which is relevant to other Latina/o groups as well, The Handbook of Chicana/o Psychology and Mental Health is an indispensable source of up-to-date information and guidance for mental health and education professionals, their trainees and students; and for social and behavioral scientists interested in the impact of cultural differences in multicultural settings.
In America's increasingly diverse society, it is imperative that mental health providers prioritize the development of their cultural competence to assure that they are equipped to meet the needs of their clients. Cultural Considerations in Latino American Mental Health offers a broad array of perspectives from clinicians and researchers actively working with racially and ethnically diverse populations. This book addresses psychosocial cultural issues that impact the mental health of the growing Latino American population. Topics discussed include relevant socio-demographic variables for Latinos and the implications of the steadily increasing Latino population in the United States; cultural values, acculturation, and acculturative stress in the lives of Latino adolescents; culturally responsive intervention of depression in Latino adolescents; depression across the lifespan; and cultural factors in the development of substance abuse issues in the Latino adolescent population. This book is a must-read for mental health clinicians, students, community workers, school counselors, and nurses who work with diverse populations.
Advancing work to effectively study, understand, and serve the fastest growing U.S. ethnic minority population, this volume explicitly emphasizes the racial and ethnic diversity within this heterogeneous cultural group. The focus is on the complex historical roots of contemporary Latino/as, their diversity in skin-color and physiognomy, racial identity, ethnic identity, gender differences, immigration patterns, and acculturation. The work highlights how the complexities inherent in the diverse Latino/a experience, as specified throughout the topics covered in this volume, become critical elements of culturally responsive and racially conscious mental health treatment approaches. By addressing the complexities, within-group differences, and racially heterogeneity characteristic of U.S. Latino/as, this volume makes a significant contribution to the literature related to mental health treatments and interventions.
Cultural psychiatry is primarily concerned with the transcultural aspects of mental health related to human behavior, psychopathology and treatment. At a clinical level, cultural psychiatry aims to promote culturally relevant mental health care for patients of diverse ethnic or cultural backgrounds. From the standpoint of research, cultural psychiatry is interested in studying how ethnic or cultural factors may influence human behavior and psychopathology as well as the art of healing. On a theoretical level, cultural psychiatry aims to expand the knowledge and theories about mental health-related human behavior and mental problems by widening the sources of information and findings transculturally, and providing cross-cultural validation. This work represents the first comprehensive attempt to pull together the clinical, research and theoretical findings in a single volume. Key Features * Written by a nationally and internationally well-known author and scholar * The material focuses not only on the United States but also on various cultural settings around the world so that the subject matter can be examined broadly from universal as well as cross-cultural perspectives * Proper combination of clinical practicalities and conceptual discussion * Serves as a major source for use in the training of psychiatric residents and mental health personnel as well as students of behavior science in the areas of culture and mental health * A total of 50 chapters with detailed cross-referencing * Nearly 2000 references plus an appendix of almost 400 books * 130 tables and figures
Sweeping in scope, Health Issues in the Latino Community identifies and offers an in-depth examination of the most critical health issues that affect Latino's health and health care within the United States. This resource offers a comprehensive approach that informs and promotes the advancement of the practice, program planning, research, and public policy to improve health care of all Latino citizens.
Clinicians and mental health practitioners are regularly called upon to treat patients of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Not only do these patients differ from Anglos in culture and language, but also in customs, beliefs, values, and practices. Understanding these differences is vital to performing an accurate diagnosis/assessment of psychopathology as well as in determining an effective treatment regimen.This book provides vital information to clinicians worldwide in bettering their treatment of diverse populations. Each chapter identifies relevant cultural variables specific to each racial/ethnic group, along with ethnocultural measures and their relevant psychometric properties. Part 1 presents introductory material on the definition of mental illness and pathological behavior in differing cultures, epidemiological data on the prevalence of different disorders between differing population groups, culture specific beliefs (e.g. hexes), and the influence of culture on treatment. Part 2 discusses assessment issues including how specific measures (Rorschach, MMPI, etc.) are best interpreted with different population groups, and the existence and use of ethnocultural specific measures. Part 3 discusses assessment and treatment of specific population groups (e.g., Indians, Asians, Latinos, etc.).
The image of society is rapidly changing, challenging the social worker to adjust to a more culturally diverse clientele. Social workers are dealing with individuals who are from more diverse backgrounds, better informed, more politically active, and more aware of his or her rights. How does today′s helping professional address the growing gaps in societal needs? Social Work Practice with Culturally Diverse People addresses the ambivalent and ambiguous changes in society, which have conditioned and constrained the willingness, ability, and efforts of social workers to provide culturally competent services to those different from mainstream society. Dhooper and Moore outline each of the major disadvantaged groups and give a historical overview, highlight the major needs, identify intragroup differences, and discuss intervention at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. They discuss how the social worker needs self-awareness of his or her own culture to treat clients as culturally equal to them. This is an essential text for students entering social work at both the direct and community practice levels. Additionally, it is an excellent reference for the practitioner dealing with these changes in his or her own practice.
The publication of the Cultural Formulation Outline in the DSM-IV represented a significant event in the history of standard diagnostic systems. It was the first systematic attempt at placing cultural and contextual factors as an integral component of the diagnostic process. The year was 1994 and its coming was ripe since the multicultural explosion due to migration, refugees, and globalization on the ethnic composition of the U.S. population made it compelling to strive for culturally attuned psychiatric care. Understanding the limitations of a dry symptomatological approach in helping clinicians grasp the intricacies of the experience, presentation, and course of mental illness, the NIMH Group on Culture and Diagnosis proposed to appraise, in close collaboration with the patient, the cultural framework of the patient's identity, illness experience, contextual factors, and clinician-patient relationship, and to narrate this along the lines of five major domains. By articulating the patient's experience and the standard symptomatological description of a case, the clinician may be better able to arrive at a more useful understanding of the case for clinical care purposes. Furthermore, attending to the context of the illness and the person of the patient may additionally enhance understanding of the case and enrich the database from which effective treatment can be planned. This reader is a rich collection of chapters relevant to the DSM-IV Cultural Formulation that covers the Cultural Formulation's historical and conceptual background, development, and characteristics. In addition, the reader discusses the prospects of the Cultural Formulation and provides clinical case illustrations of its utility in diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Book jacket.
This important multivolume work sheds light on current—and future—research on cultural universals and differences in personality in their evolutionary, ecological, and cultural contexts. How does culture impact personality traits? To answer that question, the three volumes in this set address current theory and research on culture and personality in an effort to determine how people differ—and how they are alike. Detailed chapters by scholars from around the world unveil a fascinating picture of the relationship between culture and important aspects of personality. They also address the accuracy or meaningfulness of trait comparisons across cultures and the methods and limitations of research on the subject. As most psychological research is conducted on participants from Western industrialized countries, a work that includes a wide range of cultures not only fosters a more complete understanding of human personality, but also broadens perspectives on value systems and ways to live. Each of the three volumes concentrates on distinct areas of research, exposing the reader to the diverse theoretical and empirical approaches and topics in the field. Volume 1 focuses on the cross-cultural study of personality dispositions or traits. Volume 2 examines the relationship between culture and other important aspects of personality, including the self, emotions, motives, values, beliefs, and life narratives, as well as aspects of personality and adjustment associated with biculturalism and intercultural competence. Volume 3 looks at evolutionary, genetic, and neuroscience perspectives on personality across cultures along with ecological and cultural influences. In addition to providing readers with a thorough analysis of current and future directions for research, this unrivaled work brings together multiple perspectives on personality across cultures, thereby promoting a more integrative understanding of this important topic.