Important psychocultural factors in the delivery of mental health services to lower-class Puerto Rican clients: a review of recent studies

Abstract

Literature on the psychological orientation of lower class Puerto Rican clients, their cultural value system, and their expectations for mental health services was reviewed. First, lower-class Puerto Rican client's psychocultural orientation to therapy was seen as relatively dissimilar to that of the typical middle-class American client. Second, differences in expectations of therapy between the Anglo therapist and lower-class Puerto Rican client were described. Factors affecting the minimal use of mental health services by the lower-class Puerto Rican community were also discussed. Recommendations were offered to aid in the amelioration of these problems for Puerto Rican clientele.