Intercultural Communication: Understanding the impact of culture on engagement with mental health services

Abstract

The current research aimed to investigate how culture impacts on engagement with mental health services by first; understanding how culture impacts on working cross-culturally, and second; investigating intercultural willingness to interact, as a mechanism which may impact on that engagement. A thorough review of the literature revealed that intercultural communication is a complex process for clinicians to navigate. A systematic review on effective intercultural communication indicated that within a mental health setting current empirical data is limited. Utilizing secondary data from a local mental health service, the research assessed time taken to access mental health services by ethnic minority status and service utilization. South East (SE) Asian-born patients showed significant underutilization of services across time. However, Middle Eastern-born patients showed improved service utilization across time and a shorter duration to access treatment relative to Australian-born patients. A series of experimental studies was then undertaken to investigate willingness to engage in intercultural communication. Study 1 has shown that participants were less willing to engage in intercultural contact when anxiety was high, and that state anxiety was a stronger indicator than both perceived predictability and trait anxiety. Moreover, that ethnocentrism alongside state anxiety may be an important predictor of willingness to communicate. Results of Study 2 indicate that anxiety and predictability are also significant factors influencing willingness to engage within a health context; and that anxiety may be a more important indicator when predictability is low. Finally, psychological help-seeking behaviour, acculturation, ethnocentrism and willingness to interact in a SE Asian sample across two generations was considered (Study 3). Findings indicate that despite significant acculturation effects, negative attitudes towards seeking psychological help persist generationally.