Integrating Cultural Beliefs About Illness in Counseling With Refugees: A Phenomenological Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 002202212110383
Author(s):  
Theodore T. Bartholomew ◽  
Brittany E. Gundel ◽  
Ellice Kang ◽  
Eileen E. Joy ◽  
Sergio Maldonado-Aguiñiga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Culturally Competent ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Illness Beliefs ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Descriptive Phenomenology

Researchers have suggested that people with refugee status have heightened rates of western-defined psychiatric symptoms. Following this evidence, treatments have been adapted with the intent to foster culturally competent service provision for members of refugee communities. Absent in this research is attention to how clinicians address diverse beliefs about illness constructed within the cultures of refugee individuals. As such, even adapted treatments may not readily integrate beliefs about illness espoused in these communities into counseling. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the meaning mental health care providers ascribe to integrating refugee individuals’ cultural beliefs about illness and treatment into counseling. Interviews ( N = 8) were analyzed accordant with descriptive phenomenology. Four themes were identified: (a) Presenting Concerns, Stigma, and Expectations, (b) Centering Diverse Explanations of Distress, (c) Shifting the Work to Connect, and (d) Language as Barrier and Opportunity. The themes represent the meaning that participants ascribed to focusing on what their clients from refugee communities bring to treatment and the value of centering their explanations of distress. Further, they expressed the clinical value of changing how they work and the difficulty as well as benefit of language in treatment. The value of integrating diverse illness beliefs into counseling from a multiculturally oriented perspective is discussed.

Cultural Considerations in the Management of Chronic Pain

CAND Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Shakila Mohmand ◽  
Sumar Chams
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Cultural Competency ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Pain Experience ◽  
Cultural Considerations

Cultural competency within health care helps eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. When assessing and treating patients with chronic pain, practitioners should feel confident in using information regarding a patient’s individual cultural beliefs due to their significant impact on the pain experience. Culture impacts perception, outlook, and communication of pain, as well as coping mechanisms. These are aspects of subjective history that influence important decisions regarding the management of chronic pain. Becoming more aware of what to look for and which questions to ask can allow naturopathic doctors and other health-care providers to continue improving therapeutic relationships and patient outcomes.

scholarly journals Sociocultural Influences on African Americans’ Representations of Type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olayinka O. Shiyanbola ◽  
Earlise Ward ◽  
Carolyn Brown
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Diabetes Diagnosis ◽  
Care Providers

<p class="Pa7"><strong>Objective: </strong>Illness representations, known as patients’ beliefs and expectations about an illness, may be influenced by cultural beliefs and personal experiences. This study explored African Americans’ perceptions of the sociocultural factors that influence their representations of diabetes.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Design: </strong>Six semi-structured focus groups.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Setting: </strong>Private space at a convenient site.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Participants: </strong>Forty African Americans, aged 45-60 years with type 2 diabetes for at least one year prior.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Results: </strong>Participants perceived that there was a race-mediated effect of how they developed diabetes because of poverty due to past slavery, racial discrimination by health care providers, and the stigma associated with diabetes within the African American community. Participants perceived that pov­erty influenced African Americans’ unhealthy eating habits, which led to diabetes diagnosis among their ancestors and their develop­ment of the disease since it was hereditary. Participants also perceived that there was provider ill intention, ie, providers were pur­posefully making people sick, and their lack of education on diabetes from providers was done on purpose, as information on diabetes was withheld and not shared due to racial discrimination. Perceived stigma by the com­munity led to African Americans’ avoidance and denial of the disease, and subsequently the development of diabetes.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>To enhance disease manage­ment for African Americans with diabetes, it is important to focus on the sociocultural context of how African Americans view their world that may be influenced by their knowl­edge of negative historical circumstances and their current provider relationship, which, in turn, may be reflected in their perceptions of diabetes.</p><p class="Pa7"><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2018;28(1):25-32; doi:10.18865/ed.28.1.25.</p>

Having a Sibling With Schizophrenia: A Phenomenological Study

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Barnable ◽  
Alice Gaudine ◽  
Lorna Bennett ◽  
Robert Meadus
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenology ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
The Impact

Limited attention has been paid to experiences of individuals with siblings diagnosed with schizophrenia. The purpose of this article is to address this gap by exploring the impact of having a brother or sister with schizophrenia. The lived experience of 6 individuals with a sibling with schizophrenia was explored using van Manen’s (1997) Hermeneutic Phenomenology. Four themes were identified: struggling to understand, struggling with the system, caring for the sibling, and seeing beyond the illness. Health care providers need to re-evaluate current approaches for assisting individuals to cope with having a sibling with schizophrenia. Inclusion in the plan of care and recognition of their struggle is essential for individuals having a sibling with schizophrenia.

Designing Health Information Delivery Systems for Puerto Rican Women

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 680-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth E. Davis ◽  
Daniele D. Flannery
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Puerto Rican Women ◽  
Health Information Sources

Although health information is important to the prevention of much illness, the health information needs of Puerto Rican women remain unaddressed, according to the results of this phenomenological study. Through audiotaped interviews, 21women evaluated various sources of health information. Analysis of the data revealed which health information sources they considered trustworthy and nontrustworthy. Health care providers were found to be one of the least helpful sources, as personal interactions were often hurried and inattentive to women’s needs. Yet, the women were able to present a vivid portrait of a culturally sensitive community environment conducive to the presentation of health information. Implications include the importance of including cultural values in any health information setting, as well as the importance of building cultural bridges between health educators and Puerto Rican women. More research is needed to examine community efforts to enhance health information sources for this population of women.

scholarly journals Narratives on Sex and Contraception From Pregnant Adolescent Women in a Northern Province in Thailand: A Phenomenological Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 004695802110562
Author(s):  
Panitsara Leekuan ◽  
Ros Kane ◽  
Panpimol Sukwong
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Pregnant Adolescents ◽  
Adolescent Women ◽  
Holistic Understanding

Gaps in understanding, a lack of awareness of contraceptive use and a lack of control, related to gender dynamics, may influence the demand for contraception among adolescents and their decision-making around pregnancy prevention. This study explored the experiences of pregnant adolescents at the time of pregnancy and prior to becoming pregnant, examining attitudes toward sex and contraception. An interpretive phenomenological study guided by Heideggerian philosophy, analysed data from 30 in-depth interviews conducted with purposively selected consenting pregnant adolescents aged 15–19. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim and were analysed using a modified interpretative phenomenological approach. Participants exposed 5 key findings or experiences associated with sex and contraception: ‘ Premarital cohabitation and sex’, ‘ Staying in the relationship’, ‘ Unforeseen future’, ‘ Parental conformity’, and ‘ Male command’. These findings can have far-reaching implications for the holistic understanding of the needs of adolescents in Thailand. They can be used to inform the development of appropriate and responsive interventions to support female and male adolescents, their families, and society. This includes interventions around reproductive health rights and sex education from health care providers, educators providing counselling to facilitate adolescents’ decision-making in order to reduce unintended adolescent pregnancy.

Ethnicity as a Factor

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly S. Johnson ◽  
Ramona L. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Palliative Care Services ◽  
Advance Care

This chapter examines how race or ethnicity affects access to, and the quality of, palliative care by focusing on the experience of African Americans and Hispanics. More specifically, it considers how cultural beliefs, values, and preferences may influence care. It begins by looking at racial and ethnic disparities that exist throughout the health-care continuum, from disease prevention, early diagnosis, and curative treatment, to communication and pain management, lower rates of advance care planning, and lower utilization of hospice and palliative care services. It then explores the preferences of African Americans and Hispanics when it comes to end-of-life care, as well as the role of spirituality and faith in how they cope with illness. The chapter concludes by suggesting strategies and future directions for health-care providers, organizations, policymakers, and researchers on how to improve care for patients of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

scholarly journals Summary of the Key Concepts on How to Develop a Perinatal Palliative Care Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Lago ◽  
Maria Elena Cavicchiolo ◽  
Francesca Rusalen ◽  
Franca Benini
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Newborn Care ◽  
Care Program ◽  
Spiritual Support ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Perinatal Palliative Care

Purpose of review: The aim of this study is to assess the most significant Perinatal Palliative Care (PnPC) development projects in the literature and summarize the shared key principles.Recent findings: PnPC is a new concept in neonatal intensive care approach. Advancements in perinatal diagnostics and medical technology have changed the landscape of the perinatal world. The threshold of viability continues to decrease, and diagnostic information is available earlier in pregnancy and more rapidly at the bedside; overall outcomes continue to improve. This rapid technological improvement brings ethical debates on the quality of life of patients with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and the need to involve the family in the decision-making process, according to their wishes and cultural beliefs. Although the Perinatal Hospice concept was developed in the 1980s in the US, the first recommendations on how to develop a PnPC pathway were published in the early 2000s. We considered the most relevant position statements or guidelines on PnPC published in the last two decades. Some of them were more pertinent to pediatrics but still useful for the fundamental concepts and PnPC project's development.Summary: Health care providers and institutions are encouraged to develop PnPC programs, which have the goal of maximizing the quality of life of infants with non-curable conditions. These may generally include the following: a formal prenatal consultation; development of a coordinated birth plan between obstetrician, newborn care, and family; access to other neonatal and pediatric specialties, as needed; comfort palliative care during the prenatal, birth, and postnatal periods; and psychosocial and spiritual support for families, siblings, and staff.

scholarly journals Does Having a Culturally Competent Health Care Provider Affect the Patients’ Experience or Satisfaction? A Critically Appraised Topic

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda Brunett ◽  
René Revis Shingles
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Health Care Provider ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Care Provider ◽  
Culturally Competent ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Competent Health Care

Clinical Scenario: The level of cultural competence of health care providers has been studied. However, limited scholarship has examined whether the cultural competence of the health care provider affects patient satisfaction. Focused Clinical Question: Does cultural competence of health care providers influence patient satisfaction with their experience with their provider? Summary of Key Findings: Having a culturally competent health care provider, or one who a patient perceives as culturally competent, does increase patient satisfaction. Clinical Bottom Line: Cultural competence in health care plays an important role in patients being satisfied with their providers, as well as patients willingly and actively participating in their treatment. Strength of Recommendation: Questions 1 to 5 and 9 of the critical appraisal skills program were answered “yes” for all studies in the critically appraised topic. Thus, the authors strongly support the findings.

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