The next few months we’ll be highlighting authors who have published in Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry.
Hanne Apers, a female PhD candidate at the University of Antwerp’s Centre for Population, Family, and Health, specializes in mental health and migration. With a background in psychology and anthropology, she is currently completing her PhD-research on the explanatory models of mental health among East-African migrants in Belgium.
What is your article “Explanatory Models of (Mental) Health Among Sub-Saharan African Migrants in Belgium: A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions and Practices” about?
This study explores how mental health professionals in Belgium perceive the mental health understandings of their patients with a sub-Saharan African (SSA). 22 professionals were interviewed, including ten who also have a SSA migration background. The study explores three main aspects. Firstly, it examines how professionals perceive their SSA patients’ explanatory models of mental health. Secondly, it investigates the impact of these perceptions on their treatment approaches. Lastly, it considers the influence of professionals’ cultural backgrounds, comparing those with and without an SSA background.
The findings highlight noticeable differences in explanatory models, the main distinction was found in the beliefs about what causes mental health issues. Professionals’ understanding of SSA models affects their treatment practices, those familiar with SSA views faced fewer language and interpretation challenges. Non-migrant professionals emphasized cultural sensitivity and SSA-background professionals adopted an integrated approach. These findings contribute to discussions about what it means to be “culturally competent” in mental health care.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your research interests.
With a background in psychology and anthropology, my interest lies in exploring how different cultural views on mental health affect how people live, seek and prefer healthcare. As an anthropologist, I focus on qualitative research, favoring participatory, community-based methods to better understand the impact of cultural perspectives on healthcare dynamics.
What drew you to this project?
Numerous barriers and factors continue to hinder migrants’ access to healthcare. My aim was to contribute to lowering these barriers by comprehending the role of cultural understandings and illustrating how the organization of healthcare systems can be adapted to these differing understandings, and contribute to closing the treatment gap.
What was one of the most interesting findings?
The comparison between professionals with and without a similar migration background yielded intriguing insights, advocating for improved representation within healthcare systems.
What are you reading, listening to, and/or watching right now?
The book ‘Crazy Like Us’ by Ethan Watters provides a compelling non-academic exploration of how global mental healthcare is shaped by a prevailing Global North perspective, sometimes with detrimental effects.
If there was one takeaway or action point you hope people will get from your work, what would it be?
I hope to underscore the significance of recognizing cultural understandings and conceptualizations of health. It’s a crucial factor to consider if we aspire to develop and advocate for healthcare approaches that are truly inclusive.
Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry 