Determinants of Minority Mental Health and Wellness

There have been numerous books published relating to minority mental health. Most of these have approached the topic from either of two perspectives. They may focus on specific minority populations and within each such section, discuss the mental illnesses affecting that population and the risk factors for mental illness. Alternatively, books have been organized around specific mental illness diagnoses and within each such discussion, have addressed the specific illness with reference to minority populations.

This proposed text utilizes a completely different approach. First, we focus on minority mental health and wellness and, as such, addresses not only recognized risk factors for mental illness within specific minority populations, but also the protective factors and strategies to prevent mental illness. Second, the book will be organized around the determinants of mental health and wellness, using as a foundation Bronfenbrenner’s model that considers determinants of health at the macrosocial, exosystemic, microsystemic (e.g., family) and ontogenic (individual) levels.