Ethnicity, Gender and Mental Health: Social Worker Perspectives

BACKGROUND: This paper draws on a two-year Department of Health research study on social worker conceptualisations of ethnicity, gender and mental health. The findings and discussion are placed within the 'culturalist' and an 'integrative' perspective on the mental health needs of Asian women. It is argued that the culturalist perspective has led to an overemphasis of individual and group differences in theoretical and practice debates, and by design or default has resulted in an under-emphasis of the interconnections between 'race', ethnicity, gender and social class, as well as an underemphasis on the adequacy and appropriateness of existing service provision. The importance of the latter is highlighted in its integrative nature in pointing to the interconnections between race, ethnicity, gender and…