South Asian youth perceptions of standard and culturally adapted cognitive behavioural therapy

South Asian diaspora populations have relatively low utilization of mental health services, despite experiencing average or higher rates of mental health problems such as depression. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), an evidence-based treatment for depression, was developed based on Western values and may require adaptations to meet the needs of other ethnic populations. This study examined the perceptions of standard and culturally adapted CBT among South Asian youth in Canada. Using a repeated measures design, participants self-identifying as South Asian (N = 61; M_age = 20.7; 67% women, 31% men, 1% non-binary) rated the acceptability-adherence, credibility, and expectancy of improvement of standard and culturally adapted CBT descriptions. Participants rated their identification with their heritage and mainstream cultures. Standard and culturally adapted CBT did not differ significantly in treatment acceptability-adherence, credibility, or expectancy of improvement. However, individuals who strongly identified with South Asian heritage culture rated culturally adapted CBT higher in acceptability-adherence than standard CBT. In contrast, low identification with heritage culture was associated with greater acceptability-adherence for standard than culturally adapted CBT. This preliminary evidence suggests that acculturation should inform the choice of culturally adapted or standard CBT; however, these results need to be confirmed in larger clinical samples.