How does culture impact our mental health?

January 06, 2025 | General, Social Justice, Society

If we think about health from a multilayered approach, we find that it’s not defined by the absence of disease. Instead, WHO defines it as a positive condition: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”. A healthy individual would be someone who is able to “identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment” (Government of Canada, 2008). What this all means is that mental health likewise has a social component. So, how does our culture impact our mental health?

Understanding culture and mental health

There are multiple ways in which culture might affect our mental health. For example, our social context can teach us what to expect of the world in terms of if or how we prioritize our mental health. It can also provide access or create barriers to the mental health supports someone needs.

Human culture is a unique system that helps define acceptable behaviours, what we see as right or wrong for the group we identify with, and to which we belong (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2021). It works as a map to guide our choices, defining how far we’re allowed to go.

These rules can define our approach to mental health. For example, in Latin America, mental health is still associated with stigmas that many times prevent people from seeking help. This is often due to ignorance about the nature of mental health and the role of mental health professionals. It also has to do with a culture that believes mental health challenges are weakness and people should be strong, that accessing therapy is a luxury expense, shameful, or something you do only if your symptoms affect others. Furthermore, people may overlook mental health treatment in favour of spiritual bypassing.

Any and all groups have culture. Think about how there are cultural differences among Canadian provinces and territories, or between Millenials and Gen Z. We may also follow different rules depending on which group we’re engaging with at any given time, such as when we’re spending time camping with friends or playing online with our gaming community. This means that we may make decisions about our mental health based on the culture we’ve internalized from any of the groups we participate in.

Mental health from an intersectional perspective

Our quality of life and the availability of supports are key ways in which cultural context affects our mental health. Social determinants of health (SDH) are the social influences on our health (Government of Canada, 2024), and they are outside our control. Many aspects fall in this category, such as access to quality health care, clean water, clean air, nature, food diversity, and more; as well as stressors such as stigma. 

In Canada, significant health inequalities were observed in Historically Excluded Groups (HEGs), such as those with lower socioeconomic status, Indigenous peoples, sexual and racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, and people living with functional limitations (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2018). In addition, HEGs often contend with discrimination, racism, and intergenerational trauma in their daily lives. These factors play a part in SDH (Hatzenbuehler et al., 2013; Major & O’Brien, 2005; Public Health Agency of Canada, 2020), and their effects appear to extend to mental health (Bathje & Pryor, 2011; Nadeem et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2018). 

Considering culture and inclusivity, then, becomes critical in promoting health. Our well-being is determined not only by our genes and behaviours, but also by the context we live in. Keeping this in mind, we can assess what aspects are under our control. We can also empathize with the many factors that affect our mental health and that of the people around us.

Examining cultural expectations

If you’d like to reflect on this further, I invite you to take a moment to think about your culture and its rules regarding mental health. Below, there are some prompts for you to consider. You can also add any other important identities that might influence your understanding of mental health.

• How should someone with your gender identity handle psychological difficulties?
• How should someone with your ethnicity handle psychological difficulties?
• How should someone with your beliefs handle psychological difficulties? (Whether you identify with an established religion, a loose belief system, or as agnostic, atheist, etc.)