Practise discussing how culture shapes diagnosis, treatment access, effectiveness and prevalence patterns with IB Psychology HL questions and mark schemes.
Discuss the role of culture in the treatment of one or more disorders.
Refer to the paper 2 assessment criteria when awarding marks.
The command term "discuss" requires candidates to offer a considered review of the role of culture in the treatment of one or more disorders.
Relevant studies may include but are not limited to:
- Sue and Zane's (2009) study on the role of culture and cultural techniques in psychotherapy
- Marsala's (2012) study on cultural conceptions of mental health and therapy
- Nicholl and Thompson's (2004) study on psychological treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adult refugees
- Hodge and Nadir (2008) study on culturally competent practice
- Hatala and Waldram's (2016) case study on the role of sensorial processes in Q'eqchi' Maya healing in depression and bereavement
- Griner and Smith's (2006) study on the effectiveness of culturally sensitive treatment.
Discussion points related to culture and treatment may include but are not limited to:
- culture-bound disorders
- accessibility of treatment
- interpretation of the symptoms
- cultural norms
- gender differences within different cultures
- different cultural approaches to treatment
- etic versus emic approaches to treatment
- cultural acceptance of treatment
Candidates may address the role of culture in the treatment of one disorder to demonstrate depth of knowledge or may address the role of culture in the treatment of more than one disorder to demonstrate breadth of knowledge. Both approaches are acceptable.
For responses that do not focus on the role of culture and treatment and explore diagnosis, or explanations with no explicit addressing of treatment, marks awarded are likely to be affected in criteria A, B and C due to lack of focus/relevance.