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Sociocultural Factors and Parent–Therapist Agreement on Explanatory Etiologies for Youth Mental Health Problems

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Abstract

Sociocultural factors were examined in relationship to parent–therapist agreement on beliefs about the etiology of mental health problems in a sample of youth receiving outpatient mental health services (n = 277 parents). When examined individually, racial/ethnic match was unrelated, but higher parental affinity to mainstream American culture, higher parent education level, and greater similarity in parent and therapist scores on affinity to mainstream American culture were all significantly associated with greater parent–therapist co-endorsement of etiological explanations, while higher parental affinity to an alternative/indigenous culture was significantly associated with lower co-endorsement. When examined simultaneously in one model, only parent education level remained significantly associated. Findings suggest a complex relationship between sociocultural factors and that attention to parent cultural affinity and parent education level may facilitate parent–therapist agreement on beliefs about child problem causes.

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Grant R01 MH071483 and the NIH/NIGMS– IMSD Grant 5R25GM058906-13. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIMH, NIH, or NIGMS.

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  1. Sawssan Ahmed

    Present address: Department of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 103, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA

    May Yeh

  2. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA

    Sawssan Ahmed & Duyen Trang

  3. Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, San Diego, USA

    May Yeh, Kristen McCabe, Sawssan Ahmed, Duyen Trang & William Ganger

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA

    May Yeh

  5. Department of Psychology, University of San Diego, San Diego, USA

    Kristen McCabe

  6. San Diego State University, San Diego, USA

    William Ganger

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  1. May Yeh
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Correspondence to May Yeh.

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Yeh, M., McCabe, K., Ahmed, S. et al. Sociocultural Factors and Parent–Therapist Agreement on Explanatory Etiologies for Youth Mental Health Problems. Adm Policy Ment Health 43, 693–702 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0684-3

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