Mental health and its relevance to various relational settings has become a widely discussed topic in American culture. Collectively, we have begun to acknowledge that even “everyday” commitments in life (i.e., school, work, and family) create some amount of stress that could affect an individual’s mental health.

The mental health of an individual affects not only the self, but any interactions with those who come in contact with the individual. For example, an individual with “good” mental health might experience less tumultuous relationships with family, friends, and significant others. On the other hand, an individual with “poor” mental health might struggle with gaining empathy from those closest to them. Ultimately, all is a result of the amount of understanding individuals in a relationship are capable of. A person should be able to gain some sort of validation and support, after effectively communicating what they feel with others. But despite the growing acceptance to empathize with others in any relationship, there still exists a stigma for those with poor mental health. This can be especially apparent in the family setting, where factors such as religious beliefs and culture, play in how the mental health of an individual within the unit is regarded.

Cultural and religious expectations of the individual vary from country to country. Thus, there is a need to compare and understand these differences in context to other cultures, to see where potential issues might lie. This study will observe the specific cultural communication surrounding mental health by reviewing previous related literature, discussing methods used to collect existing data, and relating relevant experiences of selected participants. While this study is not meant to be prescriptive, it is hoped that the findings will at least open the mind’s eye of all cultural backgrounds, in order to create a higher sensitivity to the importance of sustainable mental health.

Literature Review

Limited literature exists in relation to mental health communication in immigrant families of all cultures, particularly those with first-generation American children. Any existing literature focuses specifically on mental health communication in Asian families with first generation children, and are usually quantitative studies that do not fully encompass American children, speak to a diverse cultural population or even seek explanation behind the results. Similarly, media in all cultures reportedly contributes to pre-existing stigma and an overall negative understanding of illness. Since mental health is an integral part to the overall well-being of a person, it is critical that all cultures strive to understand its premises, namely, what constitutes as “good mental health”, and how to attain it. Additionally, families of all backgrounds should also attempt to understand what behaviors across cultures contribute to non-optimal health, such as Social Distancing, Objectivity versus Subjectivity, and Cross-Cultural Impact.

Social Distancing

A common theme across research was the Social Distancing Theory, or SDS . This theory is defined as the amount of acceptance an individual has for others with social traits quite different from their own, such as poor mental health. Literature touching upon this theory all reported low levels of social tolerance from neurotypical individuals towards neuroatypical individuals, but also consistently reported even lower levels of tolerance from neurotypical individuals with some foreign background, compared to their full-Anglo counterparts. All related articles described this phenomenon as a result of varying cultural experiences, such as living in individualistic or collectivistic cultures. In fact, some results even reported first-generation participants as being slightly more tolerant of illnesses due to exposure in both culture types, although their results were still lower than participants of full-Anglo descent. Whereas individualistic societies encourage the idea of self-care to maximize their productivity and personal satisfaction, collectivistic societies believe that matters of the group (such as an entire family unit) come before the needs of an individual. Consequently, the idea of “self-care” in regards to mental health, or even acknowledging illnesses, is viewed in a negative light, leading to behaviors such as “shunning”, or socially distancing, to create shame. Not much else is given, however, in terms of justifying the results.

Objectivity versus Subjectivity

Some articles looked at discourse on mental health in the media--mainly print, video, and online publications. These articles discussed the objectivity (or lack thereof) of mental health education in articles, measuring measuring different variable--such as the use of negative language or how (un)relatable anecdotes on dealing with illness seemed.

The studies reported a high use of negative stimulus and “buzzwords” in media that otherwise serves to “educate” and “prevent stigma” surrounding the community. In correlation, subjects who would interact with media would report a lower sense of empathy for characters depicted in a negative or “aggressive” light, thus leading to behavior such as social distancing (see above).

Across all cultures, media on mental health seem to utilize a similar tactic. Negative language and perspectives are used to describe people with poor mental health, almost encouraging alienation. Consequently, any existing communication on mental health between families presents itself more as a subjective expectation to be healthy in all situations, regardless of gravity or context.

Cross-Cultural Impact

Finally, the selected literature did a compare-and-contrast study between cultures in regards to their views on mental health. Consistently, the studies found that participants of Anglo descent had a higher tolerance overall in regards to poor mental health, compared to participants from other cultures (in the case of the two articles, predominantly Asian cultures). Individuals with a mix of foreign and anglo backgrounds reported the next highest level of overall tolerance, followed by immigrants with no anglo heritage whatsoever.

Similarly, it was found that certain types of media had more or less negative impact depending on its geographical target. Media in the United States was still flawed and stigmatizing in many aspects, but reactions to it were not as damaging as, for example, media in Europe or in other countries. The existence and degree of objective, comprehensive media most likely has a large role in how an entire culture views and communicates about mental health. This, along with other factors, such as expectations of children in certain roles as depicted by culture and media would need to be addressed when discussing the issue of stigma around mental health and how to eradicate it.

As mentioned above, the bulk of studies on the subject of mental health communication are mostly quantitative and do not speak to a global population. Furthermore, it does not seek to ask questions about the specific kinds of communication that exist in different cultures on the topic of mental health, communication that could potentially contribute to the stigmas that exist in communities now.

Implications

Regardless of whether an illness is “abstract” or physically observable, all mental illnesses should be considered worthy of positive, constructive discussion and support. Mental health is a factor that heavily affects the general well-being of an individual, which consequently affects aspects of their life, such as productivity, sociability, and their ability to form positive and meaningful relationships. Additionally, because mental health and well-being is becoming a more prevalent and discussed topic in American society today, it is important that we understand how those who make up the population might have experiences that differ heavily from one another, especially if cultural backgrounds are different. Ultimately, this research could be helpful to both the general public and health experts in understanding these differences, and finding competent ways to discuss why stigma still exists when it comes to the discussion of mental health. Furthermore, current research could be used in making discussion on health topics more effective in aiding families of all backgrounds, and individuals with poor mental health.

To further this rate of improvement, it is imperative that we find ways to facilitate understanding across cultures; however, this cannot be done through expecting or assuming families will assimilate to an unfamiliar culture. Rather, we should begin to encourage open, constructive discussion amongst family members in a comfortable environment, and, as mentioned before, making any existing media and forms of communication neutral and unbiased in order to generate understanding. It is only through this increased level of understanding across all cultures that we can hope to effectively combat the effects of poor mental health in all individuals, regardless of their background.

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