Journal of cultural diversity
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Case Reports
Mental health symptoms in Iraqi refugees: posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression.
Refugees suffer from a higher rate of mental health symptoms than the general population since they have experienced extreme suffering and the accumulated effects of trauma. Because of the diversity of regions from which refugees originate, there is a need to understand some of the unique experiences that are specific to each sub-groups of immigrants. The purpose of the present study was to explore mental health symptoms in Iraqi refugee clients who immigrated to the United States after the Gulf War of the early 1990's. ⋯ As expected, the majority of refugees reported intense anxiety and depression, and many met the DSM IV criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Like refugees from other countries-of-origin, Iraqi refugees are in need of culturally sensitive assessment and mental health treatment. The results are discussed in light of the treatment needs of Iraqi refugee clients, their resilience and motivation for a better life, and the ways that health professionals can assist in optimizing their adjustment.
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Comparative Study
Hispanics' experiences in the health system prior to hospice admission.
National data document that Hispanics are under-represented in hospice. Policy makers often attribute the under-representation to Hispanics' cultural values and preferences, however, another reason may be healthcare system barriers encountered by Hispanics. We explored Hispanics' versus Whites' experiences in the healthcare system prior to hospice admission to help account for Hispanics under-representation in hospice. ⋯ Whites' experiences were used as benchmarks to identify healthcare disparities for Hispanics. In four hospice agencies, Hispanic (n = 60) and White (n = 60) Medicare patients were interviewed. The results showed that prior to hospice admission, Hispanics had less access to health services known to be associated with hospice access.
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Reported low levels of cultural competence among baccalaureate nursing students, as well as professional nurses, have raised questions about nursing faculty's readiness to prepare culturally competent graduates. This study examined cultural competence among faculty of baccalaureate nursing programs in Louisiana. Using a five-point Likert-type scale, the respondents were asked to express their level of agreement with statements addressing the components of cultural competence. ⋯ When the overall cultural competence index was regressed on the index of each subscale, the cultural knowledge index and the cultural encounter index significantly explained 87% of the variance in the model. These findings suggest that faculty should be encouraged to attend continuing education programs on cultural competence to improve their knowledge in this area. This continuing education, coupled with more local and/or international cross-cultural encounters should significantly improve the overall cultural competence of the respondents.
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The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study was to better understand the needs of immigrants and refugees and how they are affected by poverty and post-immigration stresses. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 62 health and social service providers working with immigrants in the state of Minnesota. Although the state is home to many refugees who were victims of torture or severe deprivation in their home countries, the majority of providers defined the principal needs of their clients as affordable housing, jobs, and access to health services rather than needs related to health conditions or services per se. The providers' open-ended comments painted a picture of the ways in which post-immigration experiences lead to tangible stresses that compromise immigrants' health and well-being.
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Thousands of words, scores of models, and multitudes of professionals have attempted to explain and successfully replicate this "thing" we call mentoring. All in service to a greater good, using a win-win interpretation of the purpose and outcome, mentoring has become the hallowed pathway to success in almost every profession. However, life is more than a cause and effect equation. This article examines mentoring from a multi-dimensional perspective, with those dimensions encompassing the generational history, family belief system, cultural archetypes, individual learning style, and physical challenges inherent in people of one culture moving through a rigid educational system designed by people of another culture.