Cross-cultural validity of psychological interventions - P2 (ServUser)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
'Does one-size fit all?' Exploring the cross-cultural validity of psychological interventions offered by Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services.
IRAS ID
244890
Contact name
Afsana Faheem
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Birmingham City University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
n/a, n/a
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Common mental health disorders (CMHDs) dominate UK mental health (MH) with one in six adults in England now meeting the criteria for depression and/or anxiety related disorders and one in three adults accessing MH treatments (McManus et al., 2016). It is well recognised that those from ethnic minority groups experience higher rates of MH problems (HSCIC, 2015) and unmet needs by MH services when compared to the majority White British population (Gill et al., 2014). Evidence-based psychological therapies are predominately predicted on a White population which means that there is a lack of evidence of their success for BME groups (Williams, 2015).
People from BME groups have different cultural needs and expectations of MH services (Bristow et al., 2011), therefore, conflicts between Western practices and interventions can result in individuals feeling misunderstood and mistreated by service providers. The combination of stigma, membership in an ethnic minority group and distrust in healthcare service providers can impede help-seeking behaviours, leading to disengagement with services and/or treatment at an earlier stage and seeking alternative solutions.
By understanding the perspectives and experiences of service users from BME groups, MH services are more likely to understand and appreciate cultural differences and in turn diagnose and plan treatments that are culturally appropriate and sensitive to the needs of the local population (Ahmad et al., 2008; CSIP, 2007).
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0185
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jul 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion