Open AccessEvidence-Based Practice in Mental Health Care to Ethnic Minority Communities
Author(s) -
Eugene Aisenberg
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of child and youth care work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0741-9481
DOI - 10.5195/jcycw.2012.50
Subject(s) - generalizability theory , ethnic group , mental health , evidence based practice , competence (human resources) , cultural competence , general partnership , psychology , health equity , inclusion (mineral) , medicine , political science , public health , sociology , social psychology , nursing , psychiatry , developmental psychology , alternative medicine , pedagogy , anthropology , pathology , law
Evidence-based practice (EBP) has contributed substantially to the advancement of knowledge in the treatment and prevention of adult mental health disorders. A fundamental assumption, based on documented evidence of effectiveness with certain populations, is that EBP is equally effective and applicable to all populations. However, small sample sizes of ethnic minority populations in randomized clinical trials prevent strong and clear conclusions about the effectiveness and generalizability of EBP with regard to people of color. In addition, the appropriateness of EBPs to ethnic minority communities has rarely been investigated. This article critically examines the applicability and dissemination of adult mental health EBP to diverse ethnic minority populations. It highlights limitations of EBP rooted in its epistemological narrowness, exclusion of communities of color, and lack of cultural competence and examines whether the practice of EBP has overstepped its evidence. This article presents a framework characterized by pathways of epistemological partnership and substantive inclusion of racial and ethnic minority groups to facilitate the promotion of culturally responsive EBPs and to inform mental health practice and policy implementation.