Factors Influencing the Multicultural Competence of Occupational Therapists in South Korea

Multicultural competence is an essential skill for healthcare professionals, particularly in multicultural contexts. It is important to examine the factors that influence multicultural competence among health professionals. This study aimed to investigate the effect of various factors on multicultural competence of occupational therapists in South Korea.

A total of 153 occupational therapists (aged 23-55 years) in South Korea completed a set of self-report questionnaires, including the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE), Big Five Inventory (BFI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSES), and Cultural Competence Assessment Inventory (CCAI). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statics Version 27.0. To examine the relationships among demographic variables, multicultural empathy, personality traits, self-esteem, and multicultural competence, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were conducted.

Openness, multicultural empathy, self-esteem, and English proficiency were significant positive predictors of multicultural competence, explaining 52.8% of its variance. These findings indicate that personal and experiential factors substantially contribute to enhancing multicultural competence among occupational therapists.

Training programs aimed at improving multicultural competence should incorporate approaches that enhance occupational therapists' English proficiency, multicultural empathy, openness, and self-esteem. Strengthening these personal and experiential attributes can promote higher levels of multicultural competence and enable occupational therapists to deliver culturally sensitive and effective care in diverse clinical settings.