Cultural Mistrust and Social Media Relationships

This study sought to examine the suitability of the Cultural Mistrust Inventory (CMI) items for contemporary interracial social relationships on social media. The study employed qualitative cognitive interviews with 28 persons of color in the U.S. Findings suggest that the CMI may not be a suitable measure for accurately assessing relational trust across different racial groups on social media due to generational change in consciousness about race relations, and the perceived ambiguity of the CMI items. Findings also reveal that the CMI is limited in its ability to assess racial trust on social media and may not account for how trust manifests across different social media platforms. These findings suggest that the continued use of the CMI to assess contemporary interracial relationships is not recommended.

Addressing Racial Compatibility Between Trainees and Minority Older Adults in Applied Care Settings

This talk explores the importance of a racially diverse graduate student interacting in an applied care setting with minority older adults in the Southeast relative to assessment of cognitive status and in the context of cultural mistrust and misdiagnosis. ~250 older adults (16% AA) in an applied care setting were administered a cognitive screener as part of a larger research battery. An independent samples t-test was conducted to assess differences in mean cognitive status. Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) (M=76.8 years) were found to be more intact than AAs (M=73.27) on measures of cognitive status (21.32 vs. 14.72, t=4.976, p=.0001). Implications highlight that cognitive screeners have often been found to lack sensitivity in groups of marginalized older adults. Having an AA graduate student in these settings could be a way of mitigating the effects of culturally incompatible screening tools and bridging the gap between research and practice for AA older adults.

Cultural Mistrust and Counseling: A Review of Factors Impacting African Americans Males

African American males are less likely to engage in mental health services. Racial discrimination, cultural mistrust, mental health disparities, and racial identity roles are significant factors impeding African American men from pursuing or continuing counseling. Unfortunately, counselors subliminally acknowledge the stereotypical labels ascribed to African American males lead to a poor or non-existing rapport, and tend to create solutions for the clients, disregarding their intrinsic motivation and autonomy. This conceptual article discussed racial discrimination, microaggression, and community ties as the barriers to counseling engagement among African American males. The article also highlighted the history of counseling African American males and the present urgency for a culturally sensitive model using the concepts of Motivational Interviewing for encouraging counseling engagement and autonomous resolution of ambivalence.