Cultural validation of the structured clinical interview for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders in Indigenous Australians

Maree Toombs; Bushra Nasir; Steve Kisely; Geetha Ranmuthugala; Neeraj S Gill; Gavin Beccaria; Noel Hayman; Srinivas N Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan; Geoffrey C Nicholson

doi:10.1177/1039856219852289

Cultural validation of the structured clinical interview for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders in Indigenous Australians

Australas Psychiatry. 2019 Aug;27(4):362-365. doi: 10.1177/1039856219852289. Epub 2019 Jun 5.

Authors

Maree Toombs¹, Bushra Nasir², Steve Kisely³, Geetha Ranmuthugala⁴, Neeraj S Gill⁵, Gavin Beccaria⁶, Noel Hayman⁷, Srinivas N Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan⁸, Geoffrey C Nicholson⁹

Affiliations

¹ Associate Professor, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
² Research Fellow, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
³ Professor of Psychiatry, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
⁴ Head of School, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, and; School of Rural Medicine, The University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
⁵ Clinical-Academic Lead Mental Health, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, and; School of Medicine, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.
⁶ Associate Professor, School of Psychology and Counselling, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
⁷ Associate Professor, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
⁸ Director Research, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
⁹ Professor, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.

PMID: 31165642
DOI: 10.1177/1039856219852289

Abstract

Objective: This study determined the cultural appropriateness of the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) as an acceptable tool for diagnosing mental illness among Indigenous people.

Methods: De-identified qualitative feedback from participants and psychologists regarding the cultural appropriateness of the SCID-I for Indigenous people using open-ended anonymous questionnaires was gathered. Aboriginal Medial Service staff and Indigenous Support Workers participated in a focus group.

Results: A total of 95.6% of participants felt comfortable during the 498 questionnaires completed. Psychologists also provided qualitative feedback for 502 (92.3%) interviews, of whom 40.4% established a good rapport with participants. Of the participants, 77.7% understood the SCID-I questions well, while 72.5% did not require any cultural allowances to reach a clinical diagnosis.

Conclusion: When administered by a culturally safe trained psychologist, SCID-I is well tolerated in this group.

Keywords: SCID-I; cultural appropriateness; indigenous; mental health; validation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Validation Study

MeSH terms

Australia / ethnology
Cultural Competency*
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Feedback
Health Services, Indigenous / organization & administration
Humans
Interview, Psychological / methods*
Interview, Psychological / standards*
Mental Disorders / diagnosis*
Mental Disorders / ethnology
Reproducibility of Results
Surveys and Questionnaires