Culture and development in children and youth.
Andres J Pumariega, Shashank V Joshi
Abstract
Although culture has long been recognized as having a significant impact on human development and its variations, many child and adolescent psychiatrists and mental health clinicians assume a universal nonvariance to normal development, with the risk of identifying variations as pathologic. This article reviews the conceptual basis for the role of culture in human development, particularly psychosocial and cognitive development, presents evidence and support from field observations of children in diverse cultures, and discusses the emerging evidence from the field of cultural neuroscience. Implications for these different perspectives on future research, childhood education, and even intercultural relations are presented.
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Community Reviews
kayo
12/9/2025
No rating
main points: - child/adolescent psychiatrists must approach all of their work under the presumption of multiculturalism; ethnographic perspective - families & clinicians must think: "what is it like for my patient/child to navigate this setting?" 3 major tasks for clinicians: 1. Developing a broad knowledge base about cross-cultural variations in child development and childrearing; 2. Integrating this knowledge in a developmentally relevant way to make more informed clinical assessments and case formulations; 3. Developing a culturally sensitive attitude and therapeutic stance in all interactions with patients and families