A range of social, economic, and political factors shape the disproportionately adverse mental health outcomes experienced by minority communities following a disaster. Pre-disaster vulnerabilities certainly contribute to these outcomes, but there is great potential for service providers to mitigate the after effects of trauma and emotional distress in these communities through the application of culturally competent mental health services. We spoke with Dr. Robert T. Carter to learn more about the cultural complexities surrounding mental health outcomes in culturally diverse communities following a disaster and guiding principles to culturally competent disaster mental health services.

 

Dr. Carter’s work on disaster mental health and preparedness emphasizes the need to ground services within the worldview of the local community and resist the inclination to reduce the culture of the “other” to its simplest form, a practice which is inherent to American culture. Dr. Carter explained how the way people feel and behave is strongly influenced by the complex interplay between physical, social, and cultural environments. “People are quite complex in thinking about who they are… the way I think about myself as a man is quite different than how someone else thinks about themselves as a man,” Dr. Carter went on to explain.

 

While overarching similarities often do exist between like groups, it is a disservice to assume that the worldview of all members of a specific racial/ethnic group is alike. According to this principle, recruiting a diverse workforce that visually resembles the racial/ethnicity composition of the community they serve is only part of a successful strategy. Service providers need to be able view situations through the cultural lens of the local community to fully meet their needs.   

 

As a method to facilitate the adaptation of another’s worldview and improve service delivery Dr. Carter recommends that pre-disaster training modules include activities that promote the “self-exploration” of the service provider. The benefits of self-exploration are founded upon the notion that one’s familiarity with their own culture, norms, and communication styles enables them to better understand how someone else may see the world. Self-exploration occurs through a process in which individuals are encouraged to examine their personal experiences and beliefs. This process, however, poses difficulties as it is normally “not within the purview of expectations [of the service provider] to abandon their inherent culture.” Dr. Carter describes this discord between what the service provider considers to be within their scope of occupational responsibility and the key to culturally competent care as a “dynamic cultural conflict.”

 

Increasing the style, duration, or intensity of cultural competence training sessions may allow for greater self-exploration and in turn, the implementation of mental health services which are sensitive to distinct cultural needs. Concrete examples of such practices include recognizing non-verbal communication styles, emotional distress, and help-seeking behaviors.   

 

For more information on Dr. Carter’s work you can visit his website. You can also view his report “Disaster Response to Communities of Color: Cultural Response Intervention” by following the link.

 

Written By: Jonathan Purtle