Does cultural competence moderate treatment outcomes for depressed ethnic minority adolescents?

Cultural competence (CC) has been espoused as a means by which disparities in mental health treatment access and utilization can be reduced and treatment outcomes for ethnic/racial minorities enhanced (Cross, Bazron, Dennis & Isaacs, 1989). However, there is little research linking CC to treatment outcomes (Brach & Frassirector, 2002). Utilizing a national data set, a sample of 1415 ethnic minority youth were used to test hypotheses. Utilizing the Cultural Competence Service Provider Questionnaire-Revised, caregivers reported on their perception of the degree to which providers incorporated culture in services provided to youth and their families. Treatment outcome (i.e., depression score) was measured utilizing Reynold\u27s Adolescent Depression-2 after 6 months of treatment. Multiple regression was used to test hypotheses. After controlling for specified variables (i.e., race/ethnicity, sex, baseline depression, intervention site, inpatient hospitalization and medication) partial support was found for these hypotheses