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A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Psychiatric Symptom Expression Using Langner's Twenty-Two Item Index, Robert Nishimoto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An analysis of psychiatric symptom response using Langner's twentytwo item index was conducted across three cultural settings. Respondents were Anglo-American, Vietnamese Chinese, and Mexican. Some similarities did exist in response patterns and in those symptom items highly correlated with the total psychiatric screening score. Close examination revealed between-group differences indicating that not all twenty-two items were valid indicators of psychological disorder across cultures. The study highlights issues in the development and use of symptom checklists to measure and assess mental health constructs across cultures.