THE CULTURE AND IDENTITY SCHEDULE A MEASURE OF CULTURAL AFFILIATION: ACCULTURATION, MARGINALIZATION AND SCHIZOPHRENIA

TY - JOUR

T1 - THE CULTURE AND IDENTITY SCHEDULE A MEASURE OF CULTURAL AFFILIATION: ACCULTURATION, MARGINALIZATION AND SCHIZOPHRENIA

AU - Bhugra, Dinesh

AU - Leff, Julian

AU - Mallett, Rosemarie

AU - Morgan, Craig

AU - Zhao, Jing-Hua

PY - 2010/9

Y1 - 2010/9

N2 - Background: Previous epidemiological studies have shown a high incidence of schizophrenia in African-Caribbeans in the UK, but not in Asians. Aims: We investigated the hypothesis that cultural adherence might protect the Asians against the stress of living in a majority white culture. Methods: The Culture and Identity Schedule (CANDID) was given to patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia making their first contact with psychiatric services, and to a matched group of controls randomly selected from the general population. Results: While the Asian patients displayed no drift away from the traditional values as espoused by their controls, the African-Caribbean patients were less traditional than their controls. Conclusions: The fact that a movement away from their traditional culture distinguishes African-Caribbean patients with a severe psychiatric illness, schizophrenia, from their mentally healthy controls strongly favours marginalization over biculturalism as an interpretation of this shift.

AB - Background: Previous epidemiological studies have shown a high incidence of schizophrenia in African-Caribbeans in the UK, but not in Asians. Aims: We investigated the hypothesis that cultural adherence might protect the Asians against the stress of living in a majority white culture. Methods: The Culture and Identity Schedule (CANDID) was given to patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia making their first contact with psychiatric services, and to a matched group of controls randomly selected from the general population. Results: While the Asian patients displayed no drift away from the traditional values as espoused by their controls, the African-Caribbean patients were less traditional than their controls. Conclusions: The fact that a movement away from their traditional culture distinguishes African-Caribbean patients with a severe psychiatric illness, schizophrenia, from their mentally healthy controls strongly favours marginalization over biculturalism as an interpretation of this shift.

U2 - 10.1177/0020764009358024

DO - 10.1177/0020764009358024

M3 - Article

SN - 1741-2854

VL - 56

SP - 540

EP - 556

JO - International Journal of Social Psychiatry

JF - International Journal of Social Psychiatry

IS - 5

ER -