Addressing cultural and linguistic barriers in primary care psychiatry

Objectives: Common mental disorders (CMDs) are prevalent in primary care but are often underrecognized due to the limited psychiatric training of primary care doctors (PCDs). The clinical schedules for primary care psychiatry (CSP) were developed to address this treatment gap. However, the English version posed linguistic barriers for Kannada-speaking PCDs, affecting usability and screening efficiency. This study aimed to translate and validate the language equivalence of the Kannada version of the CSP screener for use in primary care. Materials and Methods: A forward translation, synthesis, expert review, back-translation, and scoring for equivalence by bilingual raters were conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, by qualified investigators. Data were analyzed using MS Excel. Results: The Kannada version of the CSP screener achieved high language equivalence, with an average score of 9.4/10. Most questions scored above 9, indicating a high level of equivalence. Minor adjustments were made for one question to enhance clarity. Conclusion: The language-validated Kannada CSP screener is an effective, culturally adapted tool that simplifies psychiatric assessment in primary care. It is expected to enhance screening efficiency and help reduce the treatment gap for mental health conditions. In addition, this translation methodology can serve as a framework for faster and easier adaptation into other regional languages, broadening the tool’s applicability across diverse linguistic groups.