The cultural relevance of community support programs

Abstract

The research and practice literature was examined to determine whether community support programs are responsive to ethnocultural issues and to derive strategies for developing culturally relevant programming. Great variation exists across cultures in family practices, conceptions of mental illness, stigma attributed to mental illness, and expectations of the provider system. Ethnic minority cultures are typically centered on the family, whereas Western European cultures are characterized as more individualistic and as valuing independence. Research shows that some rehabilitation approaches based on Western models may produce adverse effects when used with patients from ethnic minority groups. Interventions that incorporate family networks and use group modalities are considered culturally congruent. Clients from sociocentric cultures may have strong support networks and display prosocial behaviors that can be tapped in the rehabilitation process. Community support programs should incorporate cultural factors into psychosocial assessments, train staff to conduct ethnographic interviews, and use focus groups to gain an understanding of the cultures of clients they serve.