A need for ethnic similarity in the therapist–patient interaction? Mediterranean migrants in Dutch mental‐health care

Abstract

Evidence concerning a preference for ethnic matching in the therapist-patient dyad and the effects of ethnic matching on treatment satisfaction is equivocal. This study examined the importance of ethnic similarity in mental-health care in the Netherlands. A convenience sample of 82 Turkish and 58 Moroccan outpatients in the community mental-health care was interviewed. Quantified data were analyzed using multivariate techniques. The majority of the respondents did not value ethnic matching as important; clinical competence and compassion were considered to be more relevant than ethnic background. An ethnically dissimilar therapist treated the majority of the outpatients. Outpatients treated by a native Dutch therapist reported similar satisfaction with the services provided as those treated by an ethnically similar therapist. According to Turkish and Moroccan outpatients in Dutch mental-health care, ethnic matching is not considered to be preferential nor essential for treatment satisfaction. Other health-care characteristics such as empathy, expertise, and sharing of worldview are considered to be as important.

Coping and chronic psychosocial consequences of female genital mutilation in the Netherlands

“…It is possible that women who do not want to talk about the issue and were not included in this study suffer more or other symptoms. There is also a chance that those women advocating for the practice were either not approached or were unwilling to be interviewed for fear it would Ethnicity & Health 691 cause them trouble (see Knipscheer & Kleber (2004a, 2004b for similar findings concerning the effect of ethnic matching in dyads).…”

The Effects of Working Alliance and Client-Clinician Ethnic Match on Recovery Status

“…As such, the conceptualization of ethnic matching was based on a perceived match judged by clients and not by the investigator categorizing match based on questions regarding ethnicity (e.g., Gamst et al 2001;Knipscheer and Kleber 2004). The decision and accuracy about the match is likely to be determined by clients' evaluation of their own ethnicity as well as the salience and relevance of their treatment clinicians' ethnicity.…”

Integration von Migranten in die psychiatrisch-psychotherapeutische Versorgung in Deutschland

“…Darüber hinaus entspricht die strikte Trennung soma− tischer und psychischer Aspekte von Krankheit und deren Ver− sorgung nicht dem Krankheitskonzept mancher Migranten. Die Einstellung zur Inanspruchnahme von Einrichtungen der psy− chiatrisch−psychotherapeutischen Versorgung ändert sich je− doch mit der Dauer des Aufenthaltes im Gastland [16,19]. Hier wird deutlich, dass selbst Konzepte von Krankheit und Heilung einem Akkulturationsprozess unterliegen können [20].…”

“…Die An− stellung von Mitarbeitern mit Migrationshintergrund kann die Inanspruchnahme und die Behandlungserfolge von Angehörigen ethnokultureller Minderheiten steigern [17]. Allerdings zeigte eine niederländische Studie, dass die Mehrzahl der befragten Migranten die gleiche ethnische Herkunft beim Therapeuten als nachrangig empfand gegenüber Empathie, Expertise und dem Teilen von Ansichten [19]. Demnach scheint eher Kultursensiti− vität im Sinne von Offenheit für andere Kulturen und Denkwei− sen als unbedingte Zugehörigkeit zum gleichen kulturellen und ethnischen Hintergrund entscheidend für die Herstellung eines hilfreichen therapeutischen Bündnisses zu sein.…”