A PRISMA-driven systematic review for determining cross cultural mental health care.

Abstract

Culture has a critical role in human life in shaping the philosophy of life. Culture is therefore an important consideration in health care. Cultural differences, may cause people to avoid accessing health care which can lead to health disparities between groups. A PRISMA-driven systematic review was undertaken to determine how culture can affect mental health care delivery in order to make recommendations for improving care path-ways supported by culturally competent care. The databases of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychInfo were searched for articles published in peer-reviewed journals since 2000. Included studies were assessed by researchers independently and the findings of studies were grouped under 3 themes, titled 1) quality of cross cultural mental health care, 2) expectations of people receiving cross cultural mental health care and 3) perspectives of health care providers on cross cultural mental health care. The evidence indicates how important it is for mental health care providers to understand the complex interplay between culture and mental health and to develop cultural awareness and sensitivity toward service users who have a different cultural background to their own. There tends to be a ‘one size fits all’ approach to care delivery with little nuance to accommodate such differences. This may well be different in culturally diverse populations where the mental health team reflect that diversity, but with growing cultural variation across many parts of the world, there is a need for service providers to avoid the tendency toward cultural homogenisation of service delivery.