Lecture 4- Culture & stigma Flashcards
why is culture considerations impt in psychopathology?
When assessment fails to take into account sociocultural factors it RISKS MISDIAGNOSIS and the perpetuation of CLINICAL STEREOTYPES based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation (among other factors);
e.g. Numerous studies documenting elevated rates of misdiagnosis of schizophrenia among African Americans.
What are the various cultural considerations that must be factored (taken into account) when diagnosing a patient? (IEPR)
Cultural IDENTITY of the individual.
Cultural EXPLANATIONS of the individual’s illness.
Cultural factors related to PSYCHOSOCIAL ENVIRONMENT and levels of functioning.
Cultural elements of the RELATIONSHIP between the individual and the clinician.
A cluster or group of co-occurring, relatively invariant symptoms found in a specific cultural group, community, or context.
It may or may not be recognized as an illness within the culture (e.g., it might be labelled in various ways), but such cultural patterns of distress and features of illness may nevertheless be recognizable by an outside observer.
What is this occurrence called? Give 2 examples
A cultural syndrome.
1) Ataque de nervios (Attack of the nerves) in Latinos characterized by symptoms of intense emotional upset.
2) Khyâl cap in Cambodians
Khy’l attacks include catastrophic cognitions centered on the concern that khy’l (a windlike substance) may rise in the body—along with blood—and cause a range of serious effects
what is a cultural idiom of distress
A linguistic term or way of talking about suffering among individuals of a cultural group that outsiders may be unfamiliar with
e.g. Kufungisisa= ‘thinking too much” in Shona Zimbabwe
A label, attribution, or feature of an explanatory model that provides a culturally conceived etiology or cause for symptoms, illness, or distress (e.g., ‘maladi moun’ - Haiti).
What term does this describe?
Cultural explanation
‘maladi moun’= humanly-caused illness, ‘sent sickness’
List the 4 cultural barriers to accessing mental health service
- Cultural perceptions of disorder (e.g. Anorexia Nervosa in Hong Kong pre/post 1994).
- Language differences (idioms and so forth).
- Challenges with transportation.
- Navigation of referral & payment processes
Give an example of a detrimental effect of stigma about mental illnesses. there are 3
1) Significant barrier to accessing mental health treatment and support, particularly where stigma and social proximity are high, and for particular sociodemographic groups. E.g. rural communities;
2) Internalization of stigma has a negative impact on mental health. E.g. reduced self-esteem.
3) Self-stigma can impede opportunities and psychosocial activities that support recovery.
According to Pryor & Reeder (2011) taxonomy of stigma (Four Factor Model), what are the 4 types of stigma manifestations in terms of mental illnesses?
Structural stigma- Ingrained stigma manifest at societal level
Public stigma- exhibited by public towards those with MD
Self-stigma- How stigma affects individuals
Association- experienced by those associated with someone (e.g. a friend) with a MD
Stigma by association involves aspects of which other 2 stigma manifestations?
Public and Self stigma
In stigma research, stories about a person experiencing symptoms of mental disorder are often used to assess stigmatizes in an individual, what are these stories called?
Vignettes
There are 6 factors in an attribution questionnaire used to assess stigma in research, list the 6 factors
Fear/Dangerousness Help/Interact Responsibility Forcing Treatment Empathy Negative Emotion
Effective solutions to stigma reduction involves contact and education. Contact means being in contact with someone with MD, thus increasing familiarity in society and reducing stigma.
Explain how education influences stigma reduction.
By increasing knowledge and understanding of mental illnesses
By dispelling myths regarding these illnesses
Opens societal discourse= reduce self stigma
