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A Culture-Sensitive and Person-Centred Approach: Understanding and Evaluating Cultural Factors, Social Background and History When Working with Refugees

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An Uncertain Safety

Abstract

In recent years, research methods and data from cultural anthropology and transcultural psychiatry have highlighted the importance of paying attention to the ways in which culture shapes expressions of distress and help- and health-seeking. This chapter builds on these insights and offers an overview of selected major aspects of the role culture plays in refugee mental healthcare. It will also summarise concrete tools that can be used to explore the needs, expressions of distress and help-seeking behaviours among the diverse ethnic and religious groups. We suggest that these tools can be used to guide interventions and treatment models in practical but culture-sensitive ways.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.mcgill.ca/tcpsych/research/cmhru/mini.

  2. 2.

    http://www.dsm5.org .

  3. 3.

    See also on http://www.dsm5.org for this and further materials.

  4. 4.

    https://www.appi.org/Lewis-Fernandez. Accessed 30 May 2017.

  5. 5.

    See https://mcgill.ca/culturalconsultation/.

  6. 6.

    Hassan, G, Kirmayer, LJ, MekkiBerrada A., Quosh, C., el Chammay, R., Deville-Stoetzel, J.B., Youssef, A., Jefee-Bahloul, H., Barkeel-Oteo, A.: Coutts, A., Song, S. & Ventevogel, P. Culture, Context and the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Syrians: A Review for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support staff working with Syrians Affected by Armed Conflict. Geneva: UNHCR, 2015.

  7. 7.

    www.dsm5.org/ .

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Hanna Kienzler & Cameron Spence

  2. World Psychiatric Association Scientific Section, Psychological Aspects of Persecution and Torture, Geneva, Switzerland

    Thomas Wenzel

Authors
  1. Hanna Kienzler
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  2. Cameron Spence
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  3. Thomas Wenzel
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Correspondence to Hanna Kienzler .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. World Psychiatric Association Scientific Section, Psychological Aspects of Persecution and Torture, Geneva, Switzerland

    Thomas Wenzel

  2. PsyQ/Parnassia Group, Rosmalen/Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Boris Drožđek

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Kienzler, H., Spence, C., Wenzel, T. (2019). A Culture-Sensitive and Person-Centred Approach: Understanding and Evaluating Cultural Factors, Social Background and History When Working with Refugees. In: Wenzel, T., Drožđek, B. (eds) An Uncertain Safety. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72914-5_5

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