When Worlds Collide: Dominican Mothers and their Latina Clinicians

Abstract

Ethnic matches between mental health providers and clients have been suggested as a strategy for improving the cultural responsiveness of services. Although the research has been limited, the practice has received some empirical support. However, ethnic match may not be a sufficient condition for cultural responsiveness. To examine this possibility, we interviewed Dominican mothers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on: their children’s behaviors, the identification process, diagnosis, causal attributions, management strategies, help-seeking efforts, school relationship and performance, and relationship with school personnel. We interviewed the families’ Latina clinicians on their perspectives on maternal understanding and practices. Maternal and clinicians’ narratives were analyzed qualitatively to develop a portrait of maternal schemas and of clinicians’ schemas of the mothers. The narratives reveal widely differing perspectives and illustrate the collisions that can occur between mothers and clinicians in the treatment process despite an ethnic match.