Perceptions of Mental Health Providers Concerning Cultural Factors in the Evaluation of Hispanic Children and Adolescents

Abstract

This study analyzed the perceptions of 136 mental health providers toward the consideration ofculturalfactors in the evaluation of Hispanic children and adolescents. Results show that the providers overwhelmingly perceived that cultural issues are important and need to be considered in their evaluations. However, only 54% considered themselves as highly successful in assessing the degree of acculturation, and a higher percentage (69%) reported a high degree of needfor more culturally focused training. The results suggest that a lack of cultural training might be more related to an inability to access training than a lack of understanding of the importance of cultural issues.

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