Cultural competence in mental health care: a review of model evaluations

Abstract

BackgroundCultural competency is now a core requirement for mental health professionals working with culturally diverse patient groups. Cultural competency training may improve the quality of mental health care for ethnic groups.MethodsA systematic review that included evaluated models of professional education or service delivery.ResultsOf 109 potential papers, only 9 included an evaluation of the model to improve the cultural competency practice and service delivery. All 9 studies were located in North America. Cultural competency included modification of clinical practice and organizational performance. Few studies published their teaching and learning methods. Only three studies used quantitative outcomes. One of these showed a change in attitudes and skills of staff following training. The cultural consultation model showed evidence of significant satisfaction by clinicians using the service. No studies investigated service user experiences and outcomes.ConclusionThere is limited evidence on the effectiveness of cultural competency training and service delivery. Further work is required to evaluate improvement in service users' experiences and outcomes.

Limites e potencialidades da educação dos trabalhadores de saúde da família para promoção da atividade física: uma pesquisa participativa

“…However, the health team education is still primarily based on the traditional model with knowledge fragmentation, prevalence of biomedical perspective and reproduction of technical and reparatory logic 3,9 . Seldom, health workers are trained together or mutually with reciprocal exchange of practices and knowledge 3,10 .…”

Research innovations in cultural psychiatry and public mental health

“…Yet these efforts always return to the way people experience inequality linked to their social identity and the way patterns of inequalities seem to be powerfully clustered into racial, ethnic, and cultural groups, as well as showing trends by age, gender, and socio-economic status. Cultural competence studies have rarely led to recommendations that can be easily implemented, and they are rarely well evaluated or include patient outcomes (Bhui et al, 2007). Public health interventions risk overlooking culture as a determinant of healthy lifestyles, health literacy, and socio-economic status, such that the most disenfranchised benefi t least or not at all (Bhui & Dinos, 2011) .…”

Mental Health in a Social Context

“…In this context, immigrant displacement due to factors such as political instability, better job opportunities/careers, war and natural disasters generally requires major adaptations, as people need to redefine personal, interpersonal, socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic boundaries [104].The end result is a redefinition of individual, familiar, group, and collective identities and may represent an upheaval and a source of stress for the individual, the family and the communities involved [105].…”