Developing Spiritual Competency with Native Americans: Promoting Wellness through Balance and Harmony

2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon E. Limb ◽  
David R. Hodge

Native Americans tend to hold culturally unique beliefs about the origin of problems and the ways in which those problems can be ameliorated. For most Native American tribal communities, spirituality is interconnected with health and well-being. Accordingly developing some degree of spiritual competency is essential for work with Native American clients. Consequently this paper discusses the relationship between spirituality and health, highlighting the roles that balance and harmony play in fostering health and well-being in many tribal cultures. Also discussed are common spiritual beliefs and practices, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, areas of potential value conflict, and practice suggestions to enhance spiritual competency when working with Native Americans.

Author(s):  
Alonzo L. Plough

This chapter discusses the values of two vibrant populations that are especially prominent in the conference setting of Arizona: Hispanics and Native Americans. Each has much to contribute to the health and well-being of all groups of people, and their experiences suggest areas of study and practice that can help share and scale their contributions. Population health data indicate that Hispanics live longer and have certain health advantages when it comes to chronic health conditions. The chapter then considers possible sources of those advantages. It also looks at a portrait of one agency—the Native American Connections—that seamlessly grounds behavioral health, employment, and housing services in deeply held Native traditions. Drumming ceremonies, sweat lodges, and other Native customs are among the strategies used to deliver evidence-based services that promote well-being and redress a history of policies aimed at undermining Native people and values.


2021 ◽  
pp. 001139212199001
Author(s):  
Fiorella Mancini

Social distancing and isolation measures in response to COVID-19 have confined individuals to their homes and produced unexpected side-effects and secondary risks. In Latin America, the measures taken by individual governments to mitigate these new daily and experiential risks have varied significantly as have the responses to social isolation in each country. Given these new social circumstances, the purpose of this article is to investigate, from the sociological approach of risk-taking, the relationship between confinement, secondary risks and social inequality. The author argues that secondary risks, despite their broad scope, are deeply structured by social inequalities in contemporary societies, especially in developing countries. To corroborate this hypothesis, a quantitative comparative analysis is performed for the Argentine case. Using data from a web-survey and correspondence analysis (CA), there are three major findings: (1) there are some widespread experiences similarly distributed across all social strata, especially those related to emotional and subjective matters; (2) other risks follow socio-structural inequalities, especially those corresponding to material and cultural aspects of consumption; (3) for specific vulnerable groups, compulsory confinement causes great dilemmas of decision-making between health and well-being.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S71-S71
Author(s):  
Eleanor S McConnell ◽  
Kirsten Corazzini ◽  
T Robert Konrad

Abstract Although the impact of dementia on the health and well-being of those living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related Disorders (ADRD) and their care partners has been widely studied, less attention has been paid to how the disease impacts individuals within the context of their larger social networks. This symposium presents findings from a series of integrated studies aimed at strengthening measurement of health and well-being among older adults with living with dementia and well-being among members of their social networks. Findings will be presented from five studies: (1) a scoping review of social network measurement in older adults in chronic illness, including dementia, that emphasizes the use of technology in measuring older adults’ social networks; (2) a simulation study to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of sensor technology to measure social interaction among a person living with dementia and others in their immediate surroundings; (3) development of a web-based application that allows older adults to map and activate their social networks; (4) a qualitative analysis of interviews from persons living with dementia, their unpaid caregivers, and paid caregivers from an adult day health program concerning well-being focused outcomes; and (5) a mixed methods analysis of the feasibility of using both traditional and novel measures of health and well-being deployed among networks of people living with dementia. Emerging technologies for measuring social networks health and well-being hold promise for advancing the study of the relationship-based nature of care for people living with dementia.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan C. Engebretson ◽  
Noemi E. Peterson ◽  
Moshe Frenkel

AbstractObjective:This study sought to better understand the patient s perspective of the experience of recovery from cancer that appeared to defy medical prognoses.Methods:Fourteen cases of medically verified exceptional outcomes were identified. A qualitative approach, employing long narrative interviews was used. Data was analyzed using a cross case thematic analytic approach.Results:The major overarching theme was connections, both internal and external. Internal included connections with God or a higher power and with oneself. The external connections, the focus of this paper, included 1) personal connections with friends and family, 2) connections with the medical system: the physician, nurses and other staff, and 3) connections with other patients. They described the nature of these relationships and the importance of frequent contact with family and friends as providing significant emotional and instrumental support. They expressed confidence in receiving care from a reputable clinic, and with very little probing illustrated the importance of the relationship with their providers. They articulated the significance of the compassionate qualities of the physician and identified communication attributes of their physician that were important in establishing this connection. These attributes were demeanor, availability, honesty, sensitivity in the decision making process. They provided examples of positive connections with nurses and other staff as well as with other patients through their illness process.Significance of results:The importance of connections in these illness narratives was richly illustrated. These issues often are overlooked in clinical settings; yet they are of crucial importance to the health and well-being of the patients.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Kitko ◽  
Colleen K. McIlvennan ◽  
Julie T. Bidwell ◽  
J. Nicholas Dionne-Odom ◽  
Shannon M. Dunlay ◽  
...  

Many individuals living with heart failure (HF) rely on unpaid support from their partners, family members, friends, or neighbors as caregivers to help manage their chronic disease. Given the advancements in treatments and devices for patients with HF, caregiving responsibilities have expanded in recent decades to include more intensive care for increasingly precarious patients with HF—tasks that would previously have been undertaken by healthcare professionals in clinical settings. The specific tasks of caregivers of patients with HF vary widely based on the patient’s symptoms and comorbidities, the relationship between patient and caregiver, and the complexity of the treatment regimen. Effects of caregiving on the caregiver and patient range from physical and psychological to financial. Therefore, it is critically important to understand the needs of caregivers to support the increasingly complex medical care they provide to patients living with HF. This scientific statement synthesizes the evidence pertaining to caregiving of adult individuals with HF in order to (1) characterize the HF caregiving role and how it changes with illness trajectory; (2) describe the financial, health, and well-being implications of caregiving in HF; (3) evaluate HF caregiving interventions to support caregiver and patient outcomes; (4) summarize existing policies and resources that support HF caregivers; and (5) identify knowledge gaps and future directions for providers, investigators, health systems, and policymakers.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-381
Author(s):  
Theodore A. Montgomery

The American Indian has demonstrated all too clearly, despite his recent move to urban centers, that he is not content to be a poverty statistic. He has demonstrated the strength and fiber of strong cultural and social ties by maintaining an Indian identity in many of the nation's largest metropolitan centers. At the same time, he aspires to the same goal of all citizens—a life of decency and self-sufficiency. The non-Indian population of California needs to keep in mind that at the time the Indians agreed (under coercion in most cases) to turn their ancestral lands over to the white man, treaties were signed by the Indians which promised that, in exchange for Indian lands, the white man would provide for the health care, education, and welfare of Indians. Indians are attempting to achieve a life-style compatible with individual dignity and personal peace—the base of Native American culture. There must be rediscovery and preservation of that culture to insure the physical, mental, and environmental well-being of its members.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Kristine Klussman ◽  
Julia Langer ◽  
Austin Lee Nichols

Abstract. Background: Most people are comfortable asserting the beneficial effects of physical exercise on mental health and well-being. However, little research has examined how different types of physical activity affect these outcomes. Aims: The current study sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of the differential relationships between different types of physical activity and various aspects of health and well-being. In addition, we sought to understand the role of self-connection in these relationships. Method: One hundred forty-three participants completed a questionnaire designed to measure their current weekly activity as well as their current health and well-being. Specifically, we examined three intensities of activity (walking, moderate, and vigorous) and three types of activity (team-based, community-based, and not team nor community-based) on self-reported health, anxiety, depression, affect, flourishing, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and meaning in life. In addition, we examined self-connection as a possible moderator of these relationships. Results: Results suggested that physical activity was inconsistently related to health and well-being, and activity intensity and type were important to understanding these relationships. In contrast, self-connection reliably related to health and well-being and moderated the relationship between activity type and the presence of meaning. Limitations: The cross-sectional, self-report nature of the study limits its contribution. In addition, we only examined a subset of all physical activities that people engage in. Conclusion: In all, results suggest that the relationships between physical activity, mental health, and well-being are tenuous, at best. Future research needs to examine these relationships further and continue to examine self-connection to determine how to best increase health and well-being through physical activity.


2022 ◽  
pp. 150-172
Author(s):  
Carlos Raul Navarro Gonzalez ◽  
Juan Ceballos-Corral ◽  
Olivia Yessenia Vargas-Bernal ◽  
Gustavo Lopez Badilla ◽  
Judith M. Paz-Delgadillo

This investigation was made to evaluate the health and well-being of workers who made activities in the manufacturing processes of an aerospace industry installed in the city of Mexicali and based on the evidence presented in certain stages of a production line. The cost-benefit of applying ergonomic methods was analyzed, developing a descriptive model, which involved important aspects. Said aspects analyzed were (1) work methods, (2) training of employees in the operational area, (3) evaluation of times and movements of industrial operations, and (4) working conditions as the relationship of workers with supervisors and managers.


2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402093632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanika K Ahuja ◽  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
Kritika Chaudhary ◽  
Chehak Gidwani

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global health threat. Biological disasters like this can generate immense prejudice, xenophobia, stigma and othering, all of which have adverse consequences on health and well-being. In a country as diverse and populous in India, such crisis can trigger communalism and mutual blame. Keeping this in context, this study explored the relationship between well-being and xenophobic attitudes towards Muslims, collectivism and fear of COVID-19 in India. Methods: The study was carried out on 600 non-Islamic Indians (231 males, 366 females and 3 others; mean age: 38.76 years), using convenience sampling. An online survey containing Fear of Coronavirus scale, Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale and Collectivism Scale was used. Xenophobia was assessed using two scales: generalized prejudice towards Muslims and specific xenophobic tendencies towards Muslims during COVID-19. The data were analysed using correlational methods and multiple regression. Results: The findings showed that positively significant relationship exists between well-being and age as well as with collectivism, while an inversely significant relationship between well-being and fear of COVID-19 was found. The results of the multiple regression analysis shows that fear of COVID-19, age, collectivism and generalized xenophobia, in the order of their importance, together contributed to nearly 20% of variance in well-being. Conclusion: The findings are reflective of the importance of collectivism in enhancing well-being in these times of uncertainty. Xenophobia, one of the common offshoots of pandemics, can also harm the overall well-being. Implications are discussed in the light of India’s diverse socio-religious background and global context.


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