Creating a culturally competent research agenda

Abstract

Integrating culture competence into the anti-racism research agenda addresses the complexity of intersectionality among race and other cultural factors, facilitates better understanding of the biopsychosocial process of disparity and inequality formation, and promotes alliance among diverse racial groups. A culturally competent research agenda requires researchers to be culturally sensitive to the racial, ethnic, and cultural beliefs, attitudes, values, norms, behavioral patterns, and experiences of the people who are the focus of the research. Researchers must incorporate into the research process knowledge of relevant historical, environmental, and social forces that constitute the cultural background and cultural reality of the study community. Paying attention to these factors in the research process, from conception to final published report, promotes the development of cultural sensitivity, cultural awareness, and cultural knowledge that allows researchers to identify hypotheses to be developed, tested, modified, and refined to describe the experiences and perspectives of others and to suggest appropriate interventions. By doing so, culturally competent research studies generate knowledge that can lead to the transformation of beliefs, attitudes, and practices of those responsible for providing services to diverse communities, for identifying the unique needs of diverse populations, and for identifying and removing barriers that limit people's access to needed services. Ultimately, culturally competent research agendas can help eliminate longstanding disparities in the incidence of illness, death, poverty, mental health issues, and other problems of people of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds as well as improve the access to, utilization of, and quality of health and other service outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)