Cultural diversity and treatment of children.

Abstract

The increasing cultural diversity of child clients has produced a cascade of new issues and concerns for psychological practice, theory, and research. Available evidence and pertinent theory are reviewed on such topics as the predictive utility and treatment consequences of ethnic membership, whether treatments should be generic or specific to cultural groups, the degree of privilege that should be accorded to same-culture therapists, and the relative desirability of different modalities of treatment for children of different cultural groups. The concept of cultural compatibility of treatment is explored and evaluated. A broad agenda of hypotheses for research and development is suggested, and some guidelines for clinical practice and policy are proposed. It is concluded that insofar as possible, treatment for all children should be contextualized in their family's and community's structure of meanings, relationships, and language.

Ecological validity and cultural sensitivity for outcome research: Issues for the cultural adaptation and development of psychosocial treatments with Hispanics

“…The clinical literature on ethnic minorities in general and Latinos in particular points toward a combined approach integrating the universalist and the compatibility hypotheses (Tharp, 1991). Also, an integration of "emic" (within the culture or particularist) and "-etic" (outside the culture or universalist) perspectives has been proposed (Bravo, Canino, Rubio-Stipec & Woodbury-Farifia, 1991;Washington & McLoyd, 1982).…”

“…According to the cultural universalist hypothesis, treatment should follow the same course for all cultures. Alternatively, the hypothesis of cultural compatibility suggests that treatment is more effective when it is compatible with client cultural patterns (Tharp, 1991). The second approach considers the cultural context in the design of the treatment.…”

“…The movement toward culturally sensitive treatments (Rogler, Malgady, Constantino, & Blumenthal, 1987), psychotherapists (López et al, 1989), culturally compatible interventions (Tharp, 1991), and ethnicity in therapy (McGoldrick et al, 1982) are all attempts to increase the congruence between the client's experience (of his or her cultural or ethnic world into a particular treatment program) and the properties of that treatment assumed by the clinician or investigator. Thus, the ecological validity of a psychotherapy treatment is related to culturally sensitive interventions.…”

“…The role of culture and ethnicity has been an increasingly common consideration by clinicians from diverse theoretical orientations (Tharp, 1991). Treatment models that consider the role of ethnicity, culture, and minority issues have been formulated (McGoldrick, …”

Therapist as Teacher: A Developmental Model of Psychotherapy

“…Vygotsky's position could not be clearer: the task of education and cognitive development is connecting abstract, schooled, 'scientific' concepts to those of everyday life. Elsewhere I have detailed the implications of this position for the psychological treatment of children of diverse cultural communities [Tharp, 1991]. The general lesson there is the advisability of inclusion of family and community members in the treatment of children, especially for members of cultures of which the therapist is not thoroughly knowledgeable.…”