The Colonization of the Filipina Mind

Examining Filipina Mental Health Disparities - A Postcolonial Feminist Perspective

Abstract

Knowing the established connection between colonial mentality and Filipina-American mental health, this paper applies a postcolonial feminist framework by examining potential sociocultural contributors to the mental health disparities afflicting Filipina-American women through the lens of colonial mentality, specifically (1) the pressure to adhere to the standard of the Filipina set by colonialism and (2) the denying, tolerating, or minimizing the historical and modern-day oppression of Filipinos. Synthesizing these examinations, this paper will then analyze how colonial mentality poses barriers to Filipina mental health help-seeking, suggesting potential solutions for lowering these barriers and making Filipina-American mental health treatment more culturally-sensitive.