Work

Population Disparities in Mental Health: Insights From Cultural Neuroscience

Year: 2013

Type: review

Abstract: By 2050, nearly 1 in 5 Americans (19%) will be an immigrant, including Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians, compared to the 1 in 8 (12%) in 2005. They will vary in the extent to which they are at risk for mental health disorders. Given this increase in cultural diversity within the United States and costly population health disparities across cultural groups, it is essential to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how culture affects basic psychological and biological mechanisms. We examine these basic mechanisms that underlie population disparities in mental health through cultural neuroscience. We discuss the challenges to and opportunities for cultural neuroscience research to determine sociocultural and biological factors that confer risk for and resilience to mental health disorders across the globe.

Source: American Journal of Public Health

DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2013.301440

Authors: Joan Y. Chiao, Katherine D. Blizinsky

Institution: Northwestern University

Language: English

Topic: Cultural Differences and Values

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities