Multicultural psychiatric education: using the DSM-IV-TR Outline for Cultural Formulation to improve resident cultural competence.

OBJECTIVE: The authors present a 9-week multicultural competence course organized around the DSM-IV-TR Outline for Cultural Formulation.
METHOD: The course alternated large group lectures with experiential small group discussions to acquire knowledge, develop skills, and explore attitudes. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of the course on residents' training and application of multicultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Second-, third- and fourth-year residents completed anonymous self-report questionnaires immediately before and after the course and 9 months following the course.
RESULTS: Residents' pre- and postcourse scores indicated statistically significant increases in multicultural knowledge, attitudes, and clinical application. Residents did not report additional gains in multicultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes at the 9-month follow-up.
CONCLUSION: This multicultural training course resulted in modest gains in resident training in multicultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Further study is needed to determine ways to sustain immediate multicultural knowledge and ways to support long-term application of multicultural education.