Attitudes Toward and Usage of Evidence-Based Mental Health Practices for Autistic Youth in Bangladesh and Germany: A Cross-Cultural Comparison.
Maleka Pervin, Nina Marie Hansmann, York Hagmayer
PMID 38277076WHAT IT FOUND
Clinicians in Germany used more types of evidence-based treatment for autistic children and adolescents than clinicians in Bangladesh.
German clinicians said approaches appealed more when useful and colleague-supported. Bangladeshi clinicians said requirements and job security mattered more.
Key findings
01Clinicians in Germany reported using more types of evidence-based autism treatments than clinicians in Bangladesh (mean 4.31 vs 3.28).
02German clinicians reported higher appeal of evidence-based practices, while Bangladeshi clinicians reported higher requirements and job security.
03The only attitude factor linked to using more different evidence-based practices in both countries was whether the practice seemed personally appealing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The samples were not random, and the German response was low, so professionals who participated may have been more interested in evidence-based practice than those who did not. Data collection differed between countries, with personally delivered paper surveys in Bangladesh and online plus postal surveys in Germany, which may have affected responses. The attitude questionnaire did not measure all subscales in the same way across countries, so only four subscales were compared, and two of those comparisons required relaxed assumptions. The study measured clinicians' self-reported attitudes and current use, not whether treatments were delivered correctly or whether autistic children and adolescents improved. The analysis could not compare specific professions within each country, so it is unclear how much the results apply to any single therapist group.
Declared interests
The funding statement names Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The supplied text does not list author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher use of evidence-based practices in Germany as proof that German clinicians are better trained or that autistic young people there have better outcomes. The study measured self-reported attitudes and current use, not patient outcomes, and it did not establish that any single attitude caused more practice use.