Population Disparities in Mental Health: Insights from Cultural Neuroscience

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2013 Aug 10

PMID 23927543

Citations 16

Authors

Joan Y Chiao

Katherine D Blizinsky

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

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.

Citing Articles

Practical approaches to conducting biopsychosocial research with refugee and internally displaced communities.

Hinchey L, Khalil D, Javanbakht A Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2023; 16:100217.

PMID: 38108032 PMC: 10724820. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100217.

Building an intentional and impactful summer research experience to increase diversity in mental health research.

Folorunso O, White K, Alonso-Caraballo Y, Nowicki G, Olson E, Pizzagalli D Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022; 47(13):2189-2193.

PMID: 36224304 PMC: 9630423. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01461-8.

Biological Psychiatry in Displaced Populations: What We Know, and What We Need to Begin to Learn.

Javanbakht A, Grasser L Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2022; 7(12):1242-1250.

PMID: 35580738 PMC: 9678009. DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.05.001.

The University of California San Diego performance-based skills assessment: a useful tool to detect mild everyday functioning difficulties in HIV-infected patients with very good immunological condition.

Delle Donne V, Ciccarelli N, Massaroni V, Borghetti A, Dusina A, Farinacci D J Neurovirol. 2020; 26(6):899-907.

PMID: 32839950 PMC: 7716816. DOI: 10.1007/s13365-020-00891-8.

Source-country individualism, cultural shock, and depression among immigrants.

Frank K, Hou F Int J Public Health. 2019; 64(4):479-486.

PMID: 30824951 DOI: 10.1007/s00038-019-01218-z.

References

Joo Y, Oh H, Kim B, Jung S, Chung J, Hong J . No association between 5-HTTLPR and harm avoidance in Korean college students. J Korean Med Sci. 2007; 22(1):138-41. PMC: 2693551. DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2007.22.1.138. View

Muscatell K, Morelli S, Falk E, Way B, Pfeifer J, Galinsky A . Social status modulates neural activity in the mentalizing network. Neuroimage. 2012; 60(3):1771-7. PMC: 3909703. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.080. View

Derntl B, Habel U, Robinson S, Windischberger C, Kryspin-Exner I, Gur R . Amygdala activation during recognition of emotions in a foreign ethnic group is associated with duration of stay. Soc Neurosci. 2009; 4(4):294-307. DOI: 10.1080/17470910802571633. View

Umekage T, Tochigi M, Marui T, Kato C, Hibino H, Otani T . Serotonin transporter-linked promoter region polymorphism and personality traits in a Japanese population. Neurosci Lett. 2003; 337(1):13-6. DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(02)01291-0. View

Ly M, Haynes M, Barter J, Weinberger D, Zink C . Subjective socioeconomic status predicts human ventral striatal responses to social status information. Curr Biol. 2011; 21(9):794-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.03.050. View

Jones B, Wuchty S, Uzzi B . Multi-university research teams: shifting impact, geography, and stratification in science. Science. 2008; 322(5905):1259-62. DOI: 10.1126/science.1158357. View

Tsai S, Hong C, Cheng C . Serotonin transporter genetic polymorphisms and harm avoidance in the Chinese. Psychiatr Genet. 2002; 12(3):165-8. DOI: 10.1097/00041444-200209000-00008. View

Wang V, Sue S . In the eye of the storm: race and genomics in research and practice. Am Psychol. 2005; 60(1):37-45. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.60.1.37. View

Henrich J, Heine S, Norenzayan A . The weirdest people in the world?. Behav Brain Sci. 2010; 33(2-3):61-83. DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X0999152X. View

10.

Manuck S, Flory J, Ferrell R, Muldoon M . Socio-economic status covaries with central nervous system serotonergic responsivity as a function of allelic variation in the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004; 29(5):651-68. DOI: 10.1016/S0306-4530(03)00094-5. View

11.

Levin S, Sinclair S, Veniegas R, Taylor P . Perceived discrimination in the context of multiple group memberships. Psychol Sci. 2002; 13(6):557-60. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9280.00498. View

12.

Risch N, Herrell R, Lehner T, Liang K, Eaves L, Hoh J . Interaction between the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), stressful life events, and risk of depression: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2009; 301(23):2462-71. PMC: 2938776. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2009.878. View

13.

Lesch K, Bengel D, Heils A, Sabol S, Greenberg B, Petri S . Association of anxiety-related traits with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region. Science. 1996; 274(5292):1527-31. DOI: 10.1126/science.274.5292.1527. View

14.

Dressler W . Cultural consonance: linking culture, the individual and health. Prev Med. 2012; 55(5):390-3. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.12.022. View

15.

Kim S, Kim Y, Choi N, Hong H, Lee H, Kim C . Serotonin transporter gene polymorphism and personality traits in a Korean population. Neuropsychobiology. 2005; 51(4):243-7. DOI: 10.1159/000085819. View

16.

Dovidio J, Fiske S . Under the radar: how unexamined biases in decision-making processes in clinical interactions can contribute to health care disparities. Am J Public Health. 2012; 102(5):945-52. PMC: 3483919. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300601. View

17.

Nchinda T . Research capacity strengthening in the South. Soc Sci Med. 2002; 54(11):1699-711. DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00338-0. View

18.

Hunt K, Gebregziabher M, Egede L . Racial and ethnic differences in cardio-metabolic risk in individuals with undiagnosed diabetes: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2008. J Gen Intern Med. 2012; 27(8):893-900. PMC: 3403154. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-012-2023-7. View

19.

Kim H, Sherman D, Sasaki J, Xu J, Chu T, Ryu C . Culture, distress, and oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR) interact to influence emotional support seeking. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107(36):15717-21. PMC: 2936623. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1010830107. View

20.

Sawyer P, Major B, Casad B, Townsend S, Mendes W . Discrimination and the stress response: psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interethnic interactions. Am J Public Health. 2012; 102(5):1020-6. PMC: 3483920. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300620. View