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Integrating Cultural Awareness to Improve Mental Health Services in the Multi-Ethnic Community: A Systematic Literature Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2023

Sarah Olotu
Sarah Olotu*
Affiliation:
Queen Mary University, London, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

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Aims

The challenges in providing mental healthcare in an ethnically diverse society exist within the limited frameworks of psychopathologies. Ethnocultural communities suggest relative syndrome of beliefs and practices so that experiences of mental illness differ and may not fit into the concept of colonial psychiatry. This review examines the necessity to recognise these trends as social determinants in the effectiveness and accessibility of healthcare and in preventing disparities.

Methods

According to the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD), this abstract adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Standards using a search strategy of major online databases. The published studies selected were based on inclusion and exclusion criteria surrounding cultural competency in clinical practice in the context of global mental health. The studies were analysed and synthesised with quality appraisal tools and reported in a narrative approach.

Results

The outcome from the pool of studies revealed the following common themes.

Culturally informed clinical practice/transcultural psychiatry: Integrating the perspectives of the client's explanatory model with the clinician lens in a shared narrative through ethnographic principles. The cultural consultation service (CCS) recommendations increased knowledge of the specific issues of the patient's background and improved empathy and communication.

The improvement of therapeutic alliance: A focus on the aspects of religiosity/spirituality on human life experiences and the implication in healing and psychotherapy for better positive clinical outcomes.

The impact of psychosocial stressors: The clinician highlights the significant contributing factor to the mental distress of the patient, which may include cultural stressors, to provide tailored care and solutions within a multidisciplinary team.

Conclusion

The research on cultural competency in the mental health setting is multifaceted. The ongoing discussion on transcultural psychiatry, integrating biomedical and traditional practices and specialised clinical formulations, can improve mental health service delivery in a global society.

Type
Research
Information
BJPsych Open , Volume 9 , Supplement S1: Abstracts from the RCPsych International Congress 2023, 10–13 July , July 2023 , pp. S66
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NC
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This does not need to be placed under each abstract, just each page is fine.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Footnotes

Abstracts were reviewed by the RCPsych Academic Faculty rather than by the standard BJPsych Open peer review process and should not be quoted as peer-reviewed by BJPsych Open in any subsequent publication.

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