Diversity among Southeast Asian Ethnic Groups: A study of mental health disorders among Cambodians, Laotians, Miens, and Vietnamese

In research on mental health disorders, Southeast Asian ethnic groups have been aggregated into a single, undifferentiated category referred to as Southeast Asians. This one-group approach risks the misrepresentations of the mental health needs of each of the groups involved in the category. As such, this study tested assumptions of homogeneity among Southeast Asians. A total of 422 Southeast Asians-including Cambodians, Laotians, Miens, and Vietnamese-were compared in the four mental health domains of emotional distress, psychotic symptoms, anti-social behaviors, and community living. The results confirmed the diversity in mental health among Southeast Asians and the need for multiethnic agencies and the multicultural education of clinicians.