1 Psychology and human development1.10 Social psychology
1.10.4.10 Cultural formulation
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Written by Resident Doctor Committee · Published
New in the 2027 syllabus
The College added this topic for exams from January 2027.
What it is
A cultural formulation connects the person's identity, social context, explanatory models and help-seeking with the clinical assessment. It does not assign beliefs to someone because of an ethnic label.
Identity can include language, religion, migration, gender, occupation, class and any community the person finds meaningful.
Idioms of distress are ways of expressing suffering that a culture recognises. An idiom is not automatically a diagnostic syndrome.
Areas to explore
Area | What to find out |
|---|---|
Problem definition | The person's own description and main concern |
Explanations | Perceived causes, and what family or community members believe |
Context | Stressors, discrimination, supports and resources |
Help-seeking | Previous care, informal support, barriers and preferences |
Clinical relationship | What the patient expects, and possible misunderstandings between patient and clinician |
The Cultural Formulation Interview gives structured prompts for these areas. You can add an informant interview alongside it.
Points to keep in mind
Explanatory models are the person's own understanding of their illness. They may include more than one explanation and may change over time. Spiritual and medical explanations can coexist.
Professional interpreters give the person access to care in their own language. You still need to check meanings that do not translate directly.
The formulation links this information to the assessment and to the care you agree. Do not treat culture as the only explanation for symptoms.