The Research Programme 2024/2025 Theme Announcement

Research Programme 2024/2025 Theme: Viewing mental health through the lens of culture: The Importance of understanding of diversity

While culture plays a significant role in shaping the functioning of individuals in society and influencing their values, beliefs and behaviours throughout their lives, it is also possible to observe that culture plays an important role in shaping the mental states of individuals (Marsella & Yamada, 2010). This influence extends into mental health, impacting not just how symptoms are displayed but also how individuals cope with psychological challenges and their willingness to seek treatment (Sue & Sue, 2008). To advance our comprehensive understanding of human behaviour and avoid cultural bias, emphasizing the role of culture in psychological research is important.

Moreover, giving importance to research on cultural diversity has a substantial impact on enhancing psychologists’ self-cultural awareness. Without this awareness, psychologists may unintentionally impose their own cultural norms and values onto their clients, leading to misunderstandings and potentially incorrect diagnoses. This is particularly relevant when working with minority clients, as their cultural experiences and expressions of mental health may differ from the cultural norms that psychologists are more familiar with (Marsella & Yamada, 2000).

So, what should be done to improve the richness of findings while minimizing cultural bias in psychological research? Conducting studies that include non-Western populations alongside WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) samples is essential to enrich the diversity of findings. Diversifying the participant pool in psychological research contributes to culturally sensitive and comprehensive results, minimizing the risk of cultural bias in theoretical frameworks and empirical findings (Eisler & Hersen, 2000). Additionally, emphasis can be placed on examining how individuals experience the culture in which they live. This approach also enables a better understanding of the needs and contexts of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and it also promotes the development of culturally sensitive interventions.

In line with these findings, as a psychology student community, we believe that the importance given to cultural competence in clinical and research environments should increase due to the intercultural nature of our world and that we need to improve our cultural awareness as psychologists. The primary aim of The Research Programme 2024/2025 is to explore how cultural factors interplay in the field of clinical psychology and develop culturally sensitive research projects within the field of clinical psychology, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and inclusivity of clinical psychological practices.

Key Words: Diversity, Culture, Well-being, Mental Health, Inclusion, Stigma, Clinical Psychology

References 

1. Eisler RM. Hersen M editors. Handbook of Gender, Culture and Health. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (2000). 

2. Marsella, A. J., & Yamada, A. M. (2000). Culture and mental health: An introduction and overview of foundations, concepts, and issues. In Handbook of multicultural mental health (pp. 3- 24). Academic Press. 

3.  Marsella, A. J., & Yamada, A. M. (2010). Culture and psychopathology: Foundations, issues, directions. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 4(2), 103-115. 

4. Sue D. W., & Sue, D. Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice. 5th ed. New Jersey: Wiley (2008)