Restoring Kapwa: A Systematic Review of Colonial Mentality and Pilipinx American Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Well-Being

Overview: The U.S. Surgeon General described internalized racism (IR) as a significant mechanism that links racial oppression and adverse outcomes among BIPOC. One form of IR unique to Pilipinx Americans is colonial mentality (CM). This is the first systematic review to investigate CM and its relationship with well-being among Pilipinx Americans.Proposal text:

Purpose: Pilipinx Americans (PA) make up the third largest sub-Asian American group, yet are one of the least-studied ethnic minority group in social sciences. Subsequently, very little is known about the bio-psycho-social-spiritual factors that may impact their well-being. However, emerging literature suggests that PA are contending with a myriad of health disparities such as increased risk for heart disease factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and obesity).

Recognizing the social, political, and historical conditions that impact PA is critical for understanding their well-being. Specifically, over three hundred years of Spanish and U.S. American colonization of the Philippines have had profound and lasting impacts on PA. Pilipinx scholars have argued that Pilipinx have internalized the effects of colonial violence (e.g., murder, rape, and dispossessing people of their ancestral knowledge) resulting in the development and intergenerational transmission of colonial mentality (CM).

The limited research on CM among PA reveals that CM is debilitating and related to depression and a negative sense of ethnic identity. This study aimed to build from the vital research on CM by answering the following research question: what is the relationship between CM and BPSS factors of well-being among PA? In addition, the study had the following objectives: 1) conduct a systematic review of quantitative research to learn how CM is associated with bio-psycho-social-spiritual factors of well-being; 2) resist the hegemonic systematic review methodology; and 3) offer suggestions for clinical practice and future research.

Methods: This is the first systematic review to investigate CM and its relationship with bio-psycho-social-spiritual factors of well-being among PA. The data search included eleven databases for published studies and gray literature, as well as consultations with content experts. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility for inclusion by screening titles and abstracts using a pre-determined codebook. Information on CM measurement, sample, outcomes, and study design were extracted.

Findings: The search strategy and selection criteria yielded 15 studies. Using cross-sectional data, 14/15 studies used the Colonial Mentality Scale (David, 2006) to measure participants’ level of CM. Within the collective sample of 5,052 PA, significant relationships were found between CM and: depression/self-esteem/body dissatisfaction; mental health help seeking; ethnic identity development; acculturation; and enculturation.

Conclusions: The U.S. Surgeon General described internalized racism as a significant mechanism that links racial oppression to adverse psychological and physical effects among racial minorities (2001). Colonial mentality is one form of internalized racism unique to PA. This systematic review indicated that CM has the potential to impact the bio-psycho-social-spiritual well-being of PA. However, the number of high-quality studies on CM remains limited. Further research is needed to holistically understand how CM impacts PA. Recommendations for indigenizing practice and grounding future research in decoloniality are provided.