Part of the South Asian diaspora, the Indo-Caribbean community is a particularly marginalized minority community as a result of colonialism. Indo-Caribbeans are only considered the majority ethnic group in the country of Guyana, where there is a high rate of suicide mostly among Indo-Caribbean men who view it as a behavioral expression of emotional distress. From the research available, the Indo-Caribbean experience of mental health access in the Caribbean is limited due to improper collection and reporting of demographic information. Indo-Caribbeans who were raised from a young age or born outside of the Caribbean community region, often experience discrimination and a sense of confusion because of nonacceptance of their ethnic, racial or cultural identity. The objective of this clinical research project is to evaluate the impact of colonial rule on the identity and culture of Indo-Caribbeans, investigate the historical and current climate regarding mental health practices impacting Indo-Caribbeans, and analyze how racial identity models can be applied to the Indo-Caribbean community living outside of the Caribbean community. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model is proposed to address the unique cultural struggles that impact Indo-Caribbean mental health and racial identity. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model includes seven stages of identity development: ethnic awareness, ethnogenesis racialization, dissonance, redirection, awakening, reconciliation, and fusion. This review adds to a growing body of investigation of the Indo-Caribbean experience from members of the community involved in research, academia, and advocacy.
","abstract_html":"<p>Part of the South Asian diaspora, the Indo-Caribbean community is a particularly marginalized minority community as a result of colonialism. Indo-Caribbeans are only considered the majority ethnic group in the country of Guyana, where there is a high rate of suicide mostly among Indo-Caribbean men who view it as a behavioral expression of emotional distress. From the research available, the Indo-Caribbean experience of mental health access in the Caribbean is limited due to improper collection and reporting of demographic information. Indo-Caribbeans who were raised from a young age or born outside of the Caribbean community region, often experience discrimination and a sense of confusion because of nonacceptance of their ethnic, racial or cultural identity. The objective of this clinical research project is to evaluate the impact of colonial rule on the identity and culture of Indo-Caribbeans, investigate the historical and current climate regarding mental health practices impacting Indo-Caribbeans, and analyze how racial identity models can be applied to the Indo-Caribbean community living outside of the Caribbean community. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model is proposed to address the unique cultural struggles that impact Indo-Caribbean mental health and racial identity. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model includes seven stages of identity development: ethnic awareness, ethnogenesis racialization, dissonance, redirection, awakening, reconciliation, and fusion. This review adds to a growing body of investigation of the Indo-Caribbean experience from members of the community involved in research, academia, and advocacy.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ramdihal, Alyssa"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Clinical Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Gary Howell, PsyD","Lisa Costas, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:28Z","subjects":["racial identity models","Indo-Caribbean","West Indian","South Asian diaspora","postcolonial theory","Caribbean mental health","South Asian mental health","Psychology","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/741","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Gary Howell, PsyD","Lisa Costas, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ramdihal, Alyssa"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-06-02T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Clinical Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["racial identity models","Indo-Caribbean","West Indian","South Asian diaspora","postcolonial theory","Caribbean mental health","South Asian mental health","Psychology","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/741"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Part of the South Asian diaspora, the Indo-Caribbean community is a particularly marginalized minority community as a result of colonialism. Indo-Caribbeans are only considered the majority ethnic group in the country of Guyana, where there is a high rate of suicide mostly among Indo-Caribbean men who view it as a behavioral expression of emotional distress. From the research available, the Indo-Caribbean experience of mental health access in the Caribbean is limited due to improper collection and reporting of demographic information. Indo-Caribbeans who were raised from a young age or born outside of the Caribbean community region, often experience discrimination and a sense of confusion because of nonacceptance of their ethnic, racial or cultural identity. The objective of this clinical research project is to evaluate the impact of colonial rule on the identity and culture of Indo-Caribbeans, investigate the historical and current climate regarding mental health practices impacting Indo-Caribbeans, and analyze how racial identity models can be applied to the Indo-Caribbean community living outside of the Caribbean community. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model is proposed to address the unique cultural struggles that impact Indo-Caribbean mental health and racial identity. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model includes seven stages of identity development: ethnic awareness, ethnogenesis racialization, dissonance, redirection, awakening, reconciliation, and fusion. This review adds to a growing body of investigation of the Indo-Caribbean experience from members of the community involved in research, academia, and advocacy.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Racial Identity Within the Indo-Caribbean Community: A Proposed Model"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Gary Howell, PsyD","Lisa Costas, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Ramdihal, Alyssa"],"dc:date.available":["2023-06-02T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Part of the South Asian diaspora, the Indo-Caribbean community is a particularly marginalized minority community as a result of colonialism. Indo-Caribbeans are only considered the majority ethnic group in the country of Guyana, where there is a high rate of suicide mostly among Indo-Caribbean men who view it as a behavioral expression of emotional distress. From the research available, the Indo-Caribbean experience of mental health access in the Caribbean is limited due to improper collection and reporting of demographic information. Indo-Caribbeans who were raised from a young age or born outside of the Caribbean community region, often experience discrimination and a sense of confusion because of nonacceptance of their ethnic, racial or cultural identity. The objective of this clinical research project is to evaluate the impact of colonial rule on the identity and culture of Indo-Caribbeans, investigate the historical and current climate regarding mental health practices impacting Indo-Caribbeans, and analyze how racial identity models can be applied to the Indo-Caribbean community living outside of the Caribbean community. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model is proposed to address the unique cultural struggles that impact Indo-Caribbean mental health and racial identity. The Indo-Caribbean hybrid racial identity model includes seven stages of identity development: ethnic awareness, ethnogenesis racialization, dissonance, redirection, awakening, reconciliation, and fusion. This review adds to a growing body of investigation of the Indo-Caribbean experience from members of the community involved in research, academia, and advocacy.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/741"],"dc:subject":["racial identity models","Indo-Caribbean","West Indian","South Asian diaspora","postcolonial theory","Caribbean mental health","South Asian mental health","Psychology","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"dc:title":["Racial Identity Within the Indo-Caribbean Community: A Proposed Model"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Clinical Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:28Z"}