| Popis: |
Studies have shown that individuals from different cultural backgrounds may differ on how mental illness is conceived and experienced. This study constituted a cross-cultural investigation of mental disorders in two ethnic groups. The illness experience of Latinos and Euro-Americans outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and major depression was assessed with a quantitative and qualitative instruments, the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Context of Illness Experience Interview (CIEI), respectively. On the BSI, an inventory that assesses level of symptomatic distress in nine dimensions, patients were compared in the number of symptoms reported (PST), level of general distress (GSI), and pattern of scale elevations. The factor structure of the BSI was also analyzed for the ethnic groups. Latinos were expected to report higher scores on the PST and GSI measures, and also to report higher level of distress on at least the Somatization dimension. The results showed a non-significant ethnic difference on number of symptoms reported on the BSI. In relation to level of distress, however, a significant ethnic difference was found, with Latinos scoring higher than Euro-Americans as predicted. On the p attern of scales elevation, Latinos had significantly higher scores than Euro-Americans on Somatization, Obsessive-Compulsive, Anxiety and Phobic Anxiety. However, the results from a multiple regression showed that only Obsessive-Compulsive and Anxiety provided additional contribution to differentiate the ethnic groups. Significant differences between schizophrenia and depression patients were only found for the Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive scales, with patients with major depression scoring higher than those with schizophrenia. On the CIEI, patients were compared on their conceptions about the nature of their psychiatric condition, as well as their conceptions about causes of illness and prognosis. As expected, Latinos described their problems significant more often than Euro-Americans as "Nervios", while the opposite occurred in relation to "Mental Illness", which was more often cited by Euro-Americans. Biological factors were more often accepted by Euro-Americans; however, a significant difference only occurred when Heredity and Chemical Imbalance categories were collapsed. The participants' views of the effects of illness on self and on family suggested important differences on meanings of illness among Latinos and Euro-Americans, though no statistically significant ethnic differences were found. Patients with major depression tended to emphasize causes associated with life events significantly more often than patients with schizophrenia across both ethnic groups. The importance of combining quantitative and qualitative data in the present study was emphasized. Finally, the inclusion in the DSM-IV of cultural issues in the assessment of mental disorders was recognized as an important step to the recognition that the experience of mental illness varies across the world |
