Culturally, health professionals in Canada are increasingly diverse, viewing the world and the people they see through many different lenses. To your surprise, she is decisive. Ethnicity, on the other hand, takes into account your family’s cultures, customs and lifestyle choices. Communication styles differ. There is huge diversity within any culture. Cultures often have different beliefs regarding health care in general. How illness and pain are experienced and expressed. Willingness to discuss symptoms with a health care provider, or with an interpreter being present. Sam will help you decide what resources will be most useful to you by asking you questions. learned and passed on through generations. Also available at: http://www.kidsnewtocanada.ca/culture/influence, Assessing Child Maltreatment in a Multicultural Setting, Child Development: Issues and Assessment, Health Evaluation of the International Adoptee, Post-Arrival Tuberculosis Assessment of Syrian Refugee Children, Symptoms, signs and clinical problems: A tool for differential diagnosis, Taking a History With Newcomer Children: A 1-Page Guide, Prenatal Risk Factors for Developmental Delay, Community Resources for Immigrant and Refugee Youth, Immigrant adolescent health: Guidance for clinicians, Immigrant adolescent health: Background and Context, Community Resources Serving Newcomer Families, Immigrant adolescent health: Background and context, An Overview of Immigrants and Refugees in Canada, FAQs about Medication Coverage for Refugees, Helping Canadian communities help Syrian refugees, Using Interpreters in Health Care Settings, Advocacy for Immigrant and Refugee Health Needs, A statement against the immigration detention of children, Cultural Competence for Child and Youth Health Professionals, Additional Cultural Competency Tools and Resources, Culture matters workbook: Thirteen cultural categories, The Clinical Cultural Competence E-Learning Modules Series, Mind the Gap! Culture shock is the experience of not knowing what is going on in the new culture and finding that normal ways to adapt don’t necessarily work in the new environment. Ideally, everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity will receive the same medical care. Culture, here, supersedes direct actions of nurses and doctors, hospital boards, local and regional health regulators, health policy makers, local and national politicians, and even referring family doctors as sources of blame. Diversity exists within any single culture. Help parents to identify their religious values in the context of looking after their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Many of the differences in risks have to do with what those ethnicities tend to eat, whether they tend to … You worry about the length of the visit and falling behind with other patients. As an employer, you can only control so much. Meeting these needs is essential, and if we don’t have enough money to do so, our wellbeing suffers.Beyond that, as Tom Rath suggests in his book, Wellbeing, “money can increase our short-term happiness by giving us more control over how we spend our time.” Knowing the difference can help health professionals with diagnosis and with tailoring a treatment plan that includes a larger or smaller group. Perception of the amount of control individuals have in preventing and controlling disease. factors that influence human development, health and wellbeing. Religion can still function as a source of social support … They rented a room from a friend. There, they boarded a small plane that connected to a pre-arranged flight to Frankfurt, Germany. life, including health and wellbeing14. This can impact on health and behaviour to health and health services. How Cultural Background Affects Health. I play piano and sing. Additionally, of the 36% of Americans who report limited health literacy, most are older, less educated, … Culture is commonly divided into two broad categories at opposite ends of a continuum: collectivistic or individualistic. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, Acceptance of a diagnosis, including who should be told, when and how. Privacy Policy | Sitemap. Collectivistic and individualistic cultures can give rise to different views on human health, as well as on treatment, diagnoses and causes of illness. Your feedback will help us improve your experience on Head to Health. Recognize that families may use complementary and alternative therapies. In addition, culture specific values influence patient roles and expectations, how much information about illness and treatment is desired, how death and dying will … Wellbeing is not just the absence of disease or illness. Some suggestions are below. The key to have healthy societies is to have healthy children. Caucasians generally have a low pain tolerance compared to other ethnicities and tend to have higher expectations regarding their physical recovery and expectations of receiving a prescription. By Tara Parker-Pope July 16, 2009 2:47 pm July 16, 2009 2:47 pm. Resources are saved until you close your browser window. What types of health promotion activities are practiced, recommended or insured. These factors affect your ability to take part in healthy behaviors, and this affects your health.Here are some exam… Dancing can increase self-esteem, and reduce anxiety, depression, bodily aches and pains. Your culture may also shape how you relax, practise self-care, and resolve conflicts. Most cultures fall somewhere between the two poles, with characteristics of both. Be aware of religious festivals (e.g. 3 . Engaging in the arts in any way for at least two hours per week is associated with having good mental health. Click the “Saved resources” button in the menu to view and email your resources. Make sure you understand how the patient understands his or her own health or illness. How accessible the health system is, as well as how well it functions. Music has definitely saved me.”, Australian Government Department of Health Opens in new tab, Press the escape key or the close button to close this dialog, Press escape to close the sharing options list, I wish it had more or different resources, The Search Resources feature could be improved, The art style and presentation could be improved, I would like to suggest other ways to improve the site, I like the way it brings together lots of resources, I would like to leave a positive comment about this site, The structure of the page could be improved, I would like to leave some constructive feedback about this page, I would like to leave a positive comment about this page. The following week she returns. Dr. Mackey is a psychologist who works with a very diverse patient population. Search for more digital mental health services and resources, Your anonymous feedback has been submitted. Ultimately, they decided to migrate to Canada to join extended family in Toronto, who sponsored them. How does freedom of religion and belief affect health and wellbeing? A child may compensate for a parent’s debility. Culture is a pattern of ideas, customs and behaviours shared by a particular people or society. Also, any such document would be biased by the authors’ own cultural perspectives. Many cultures have explanations for the cause of mental health issues, such as possession by an evil spirit or punishment for wrongdoings in a past life. View ability to make personal individual choices as a right, Emphasize individual initiative and achievement, Emphasize group goals, cooperation and harmony, Lesser influence of group views and values, and in fewer aspects of life, Greater, broader influence of group views and values. It was many years ago that I became interested in how spirituality could have an effect on health and wellbeing. Making or avoiding eye contact can be viewed as rude or polite, depending on culture. Factors that influence wellbeing Singing, especially in groups, releases the pleasure hormones in the brain called endorphins as well as oxytocin, which builds feelings of trust and bonding. integrated into all aspects of an individual’s life. It plays a large part in your employees’ health and wellbeing – and is firmly within your control. A guide for health professionals working withimmigrant and refugee children and youth, Culture is the patterns of ideas, customs and behaviours shared by a particular people or society. How patients and providers perceive chronic disease and various treatment options. Dancing can increase self-esteem, and reduce anxiety, depression, bodily aches and pains. Kodjo, C. Cultural competence in clinician communication. Demonstrating awareness of a patient’s culture can promote trust, better health care, lead to higher rates of acceptance of diagnoses and improve treatment adherence. Am Fam Physician. Essentially, it dictates whether people selectively present symptoms in a “culturally appropriate” way that won’t reflect badly on them. She confides, with some prompting, that she discussed treatment options with her husband and mother-in-law, and together they have arrived at the best solution. Holy days Hindus do not observe a specific day of worship, although some days of the week may be associated with particular deities. When you have difficulty accessing cultural spaces such as these, feelings of isolation and cultural exclusion can soon follow. The health care provider’s culture is individualistic, while the mother’s is more collectivistic. Eventually, with assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Canadian government, they made their way to Canada as Government Assisted Refugees. Such skills can be a compass for exploring, respecting  and using cultural similarities and differences to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. This may cause you to feel lost and isolated. Her mother, a Sudanese journalist, was persecuted and jailed after having written politically sensitive articles in a national newspaper. These cultural differences are affecting even the most remote settings. 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