An exploratory assessment of cultural sensitivity in the practices of Lebanese researchers in the field of psychology: Implications for national development efforts

Abstract

The inclusion of the social and cultural characteristics of groups in the concept of national development highlights the contributions that culturally sensitive psychological research can make to development efforts. It also highlights the relevance of assessing and promoting such research, especially in majority world countries where development needs are pressing. In the current study, a content analysis was conducted to assess the degree to which Lebanese psychological researchers in post-civil war Lebanon have engaged in culturally sensitive research practices. The Cultural Sensitivity Measure for Published Research, which was inspired by Adair, Puhan, and Vohra's ( 1993 ) measure of indigenization, was applied to 54 peer-reviewed English- and French-language empirical studies conducted by Lebanese researchers on Lebanese samples within Lebanon. The results suggest that while cultural sensitivity levels were generally low, the sampled researchers engaged in more sensitive practices compared to researchers in the region. For example, they used qualitative methods more often, made more efforts to ensure the cultural compatibility of their methods, and engaged in more complex conceptualizations of culture and its relationship with psychological processes. Furthermore, certain practices, such as studying diverse groups or using findings to suggest real-life applications, were found to be predictive of higher general levels of cultural sensitivity in the sampled articles. These research practices could be fostered in institutional and intellectual contexts, and such initiatives would go a long way in supporting a locally appropriate research infrastructure that contributes to national development efforts.