APSY 651 Final Exam The Impact of Ethnicity and Culture on Child Psychopathology Critical Issue

One of the issues in childhood psychopathology that I have found fascinating is the role of ethnicity and culture. It is a challenging issue as these factors can strongly impact the disorders seen in children, yet some practitioners lack an understanding of the degree of impact. There is a wide variety of ways that different ethnicities and cultures may view identification, response and treatment of disorders. As such, it is important to learn about the background of the individual involved and understand the effect this may have on the way behaviors are manifested and a disorder viewed. This has been an issue that I have found interesting but also challenging in this course. As I gain understanding in this area, I realize there is much more to learn. It has resulted in more questions rather than answers, which can be at times frustrating. It is not possible to be an expert in understanding all cultures and ethnicities and their impact on child psychopathology but developing an awareness of this impact is essential. Personally, this issue is of interest to me as my mother is a first generation Canadian from a traditional Chinese family, while my father is a third generation European-Canadian. Growing up, I noticed that my maternal grandmother would not talk about feelings, while my paternal grandmother was very open with her emotions. As an adult I have seen the implications of this in viewing mood disorders such as depression on both sides of the family. Individuals on my maternal side were hesitant to share feelings and get help, while those on my paternal side were much more willing to seek professional help and openly shared their experience with family members. I am curious if this is due to the difference in cultures or other factors.

APSY 651 Final Exam Professionally, this is a challenging issue for me as the suburban Calgary school

that I teach at has less than 15% of its population as members of minority groups. As such, often times these individuals are viewed from the same lens as those from the more dominant groups. Aside from having a translator during parent-teacher interviews, the effect of ethnicity and culture is rarely brought up as a topic of discussion. Understanding how culture can impact childhood disorders is also important when interacting with parents. Reflecting on conversations that my colleagues and I have had with parents from diverse backgrounds reveals that we did not always take these factors into account. Understanding The impact of ethnicity and culture on childhood mental disorders is gaining recognition, but there is certainly more work that needs to be done in order to advance this field. Even though there is increasing ethnic diversity in North America not much attention has been paid to ethnicity-related issues and ethnic representation in child psychopathology research. Often researchers have relied on data taken mainly from European-American culture in order to base theories of normal and deviant childhood behavior (Mash & Barkley, 2003). These theories are sometimes applied to individuals of various ethnic backgrounds with little consideration for this fact. Differences in prevalence rates for some childhood mental disorders have been observed across ethnicities. However, one of the issues in current research is identifying whether the main factor for this difference is ethnicity itself, or other factors (Mash & Barkley, 2003). There are few studies that have compared ethnic groups while controlling for these factors, which include socioeconomic status (SES), age, sex, and geographic region. For example, some studies have found that African American children report higher rates of eternalizing problems but when SES is

APSY 651 Final Exam controlled for this difference is no longer evident. It is important to use caution when

interpreting studies on ethnic differences, which do not control for SES, as there is a higher population of minority groups in lower SES conditions (Mash & Barkley, 2003). However, studies into the processes affecting the form, associated factors, and outcomes of different disorders for various ethnic groups hold promise for increasing our understanding of the relationship between ethnicity and child psychopathology (Mash & Barkley, 2003, p. 16). The role of culture in childhood mental disorders is also an important area that requires further research. While there is an increased sensitivity to the role of cultural influences in child psychopathology, there are not many studies, which have investigated its behaviors, attitudes, and psychological and biological processes across cultures (Mash & Barkley, 2003). It is essential that research not be generalized from one culture to another, unless there is reason and adequate support for doing so (Mash & Barkley, 2003). It is important to have an understanding of how different social experiences and contexts can affect the expression, outcome and course of various disorders. The same characteristics can be viewed differently depending on cultural settings, as variation exists in the meaning associated with the behavior. Evaluation of behavior is impacted by cultural values and adults views of the behavior of children as normal or not from their cultural norm perspective. How severe or important a given behavior is can vary as can its form and frequency. Formal diagnosis can be impacted by culture as there can be differences in diagnostic and referral practices, which can result in different prevalence rates for disorders across cultures (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Differences in the rate of disorders across cultures must be evaluated as to whether this is due to a real difference or due to differences in the criteria used to form judgments about the disorders. Outcomes can also be impacted by

APSY 651 Final Exam

culture. For example, those in traditional cultures may experience strong social support and a feeling of belonging, while those in industrialized countries may have more opportunities and resources. Social and cultural group values can influence the expression and tolerance of these emotional and behavioral disturbances (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Analyze Growing up in a family where my maternal side has a more traditional Chinese culture, and my paternal side has a more liberal western one has given me a perspective of the cultural difference that can exist regarding education and mental disorders. It has also made me curious about how different cultures view these issues. For example, my moms family viewed academics of paramount importance, with a focus on getting top marks and following exactly what the teacher said to do. Extra-curricular activities and peer relationships were very much on the back burner. Emotional issues were not shared. However, my dads family took a more global view of education, where academics, extracurricular and peer relationships were all essential. Emotional issues were freely discussed and professional help was sought when needed. Looking back, I recognize that I unintentionally have attached my experience with Chinese cultural beliefs to my Chinese students, which is not fair. I should not generalize the experience I had with my family to the experiences my students have. However, it did give me a basis for understanding that these differences do exist. Interestingly, despite my upbringing I am recognizing the bias I have had within my classroom in the past. I have applied western cultural views on behavior and learning for my students and as such have identified children different from the norm, and have sought out ways to help them fit within the dynamics of the classroom. Prior to referral for School

APSY 651 Final Exam Resource Group (SRG) support, I do my best to analyze the possible causes within the classroom of the behavior I am seeing. For example, the difficulty of the task, the type of task, the distractions in the room, and whom the individual sits near too. In hindsight, I should have also looked at the impact that culture could have on the behavior I was observing, as the students behavior may fit in the cultural norm for their group. In the past, rarely have I taken the time to delve into possible cultural impact on behavior except for newer immigrants to Canada. It is important to realize that culture can play a large role

in child psychopathology even if these students have grown up in Canada; different cultural views may be expressed at home and this needs to be realized. Additionally recognizing the impact of cultural differences is important when interacting with parents. At times, during parent meetings when discussing the learning or behavioral challenges observed in students, my colleagues and I have viewed the parents to be permissive or apathetic. However, taking the initiative to learn about the cultural background of these individuals and how to best approach regarding our concerns, and understanding their responses rather than passing judgment, would have made for more effective communication. Experiences Shape Understanding Through the readings, presentations and discussion with peers, I have increased my understanding of ethnic and cultural impacts on child psychopathology. I was not aware of the degree to which these issues can affect childhood mental disorders in general, and had extremely limited understanding of cultural views towards these topics. Having learned some examples of how the interpretation of childrens social behavior is impacted by cultural beliefs and values has helped me gain a better understanding of this issue. For

APSY 651 Final Exam example, traits such as shyness and oversensitivity in children can be associated with

leadership, academic achievement and school competence in Chinese children in Shanghai, yet with social maladjustment and peer rejection in Western cultures (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Also of note is that CPS [Child Protective Services] has a more pervasive and invasive impact on African American families than any other ethnic group (Mash & Barkley, 2003, p. 636). However, one of the possible factors contributing to this is bias at the reporting or investigation implementation stage preceding CPS system entry. Additionally, African American and Hispanic American children in foster care are much less likely to receive mental health services when compared to European American children (Mash & Barkley, 2003). According to Mash and Barkley further consideration is needed regarding cultural competency within the child welfare system. One of the issues I found particularly interesting was the difference in overcontrolled and undercontrolled behavior that can exist between cultures. For example, significantly more frequent problems with overcontrol were reported for Jamaican children than for American ones, which is consistent with Afro-British Jamaican cultural practices and attitudes which discourage uncontrolled behavior such as aggression and encourage overcontrolled behavior such as inhibition (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Similarly, children in China are encouraged to be cautious, self-restrained, dependent and behaviorally inhibited while parents and peers in Western cultures view these behaviors negatively. In Chinese children cautious, sensitive and inhibited behavior is highly praised in children as it is associated with academic achievement, peer acceptance, leadership and prosocial behavior, which is in contrast to how these behaviors are viewed in Western samples (Mash & Barkley, 2003). In a study, which compared 6-to-11 year olds from Thailand to those from

APSY 651 Final Exam North America, Thai children were higher in overcontrolled behaviors such as depression while parents rated American children higher on undercontrolled behaviors such as disobedience (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Also, in comparing 2- to 9-year-old children in the United States and Thailand, parents and teachers in Thailand rated overcontrolled and undercontrolled problems as less serious, worrisome, and less likely to reflect personality

traits. However, they were viewed as more likely to improve with time. This reinforces the notion that cultural understanding is important in interpreting behaviors, and in how these are to be communicated with parents (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Interestingly, some disorders which have a strong neurological basis, such as autistic disorder and ADHD may be less susceptible to cultural differences than other disorders. However, cultural values and beliefs can still influence the meaning given to the behaviors and how they are expressed, responded to and ultimately their outcomes (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Professional Plan In order to more effectively conceptualize and understand this issue I will look to gain knowledge in two areas; first, gaining a greater overall understanding of the impact of culture and ethnicity on child psychopathology, and second, garnering a more in depth understanding of the Vietnamese culture in particular. In order to achieve the first goal, initially I would discuss with our schools English as a Second Language specialist her understanding of this issue. In particular, I would like to know how ethnic and cultural factors may impact students learning, emotional and behavioral disorders within our school. She may also be able to refer me to additional resources. I would also like to network with other teachers in my school, as well as with those in our feeder elementary

APSY 651 Final Exam schools. It is beneficial to interact with those who have knowledge of culturally diverse students so that we can share what we know and the resources we have. Using media sources in also useful such as journals, books and the Internet. Discussion board postings have a listed a variety of journal articles and books which would help me to gain a better understanding of this topic. For example, Culture-infused Counseling: Celebrating the Canadian Mosaic by Arthur and Collins and Stigma and Discrimination published by BC

Mental Health would be excellent places to start. Additionally, Alberta Education publishes resources on working with culturally diverse populations, such as Our Words, Our Ways: Teaching First Nations, Mtis and Inuit Learners which could also be valuable. The minority group with the largest representation in my school is Vietnamese. Due to this, I would like to gain a greater understanding of this culture. There is a grade nine student in our school who I would like to talk to regarding these issues. If he is open to it, I would like him to share his cultural understanding of mental disorders. He is from a recently immigrated, traditional Vietnamese family and I feel I have a strong enough relationship with him that he would be willing to speak with me honestly. I also plan to contact the Calgary Multicultural Center to speak to both adults and youth to gain more understanding on how the Vietnamese culture views childhood mental disorders and education. They can likely suggest further resources that I can seek out to add to my understanding. When working with individuals, whether as a teacher or through completing assessments, I will learn about the individuals ethnicity and culture so that I can identify the possible role that this may have on their emotions and behaviors. This includes gaining an understanding of how some tests may be culturally biased and looking for more culturally fair alternatives. Also, analyzing test responses to see if and how culture may

APSY 651 Final Exam have an impact is also valuable. As I learn more about this issue, my plan is likely to change; it is important to be open and flexible with my learning. Collaboration Collaboration affords the opportunity to focus on encouraging discussion, recognition and identification of how ethnic and cultural factors can come into play regarding the symptoms we see related to the disorder (Mash & Barkley, 2003). Working as a team with other teachers and educational assistants in my school is an extremely valuable practice and that I should employ more often. Individuals come with different levels of knowledge and experience, and can be excellent sources of information on this

issue, so it is important to ask others. The discussion board in this class has been a valuable source of information on various issues including cultural differences and has reinforced the importance of discussing issues with individuals other than those you work with. Starting to network with teachers and professionals outside of my school is an area that is important to me. I am going to contact the teacher coordinator from our feeder elementary schools to begin this process, as well as our area special education specialist. Additionally, I have the email addresses of some individuals in this class who I can contact regarding their opinions or experiences with various ethnic and cultural groups. From a larger perspective I plan to become a student affiliate of the Canadian Psychological Association, as this is a valuable networking opportunity as well as a source of helpful resources. The discussion board provided some things to consider regarding collaboration. Included in this is the value of feeling like an equal when working with other professionals, and that a relationship of trust and respect is important so that all involved can feel that their opinions and knowledge base matters. Also, the importance of finding time to

APSY 651 Final Exam collaborate was emphasized. While some collaboration can be done through quick interactions, being able to have the time to sit and fully discuss a child and their needs is beneficial. Collaboration is an important tool for effective instruction, psychological assessment and interventions.

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References Mash, E., & Barkley, R. A. (2003). Child psychopathology (2nd edition). New York, NY: The Guildford Press.