Chapter 10:
Transcultural Perspectives
in Mental Health Nursing
Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
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Transcultural Perspectives in Mental Health Nursing #1
Transcultural nursing:
Examines mental illnesses within a transcultural perspective
Assists in understanding how culture influences the ways in which we interpret and behave with mental illnesses
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Transcultural Perspectives in Mental Health Nursing #2
Mental disorders are defined according to “cultural, social, and familial norms and values” (DSM-V, 2013, p. 14).
Culture provides the framework that is used to interpret “the experience and expression of the symptoms, signs, and behaviors that are criteria for diagnosis” (p. 14)
Cultural norms shape what is considered normal versus abnormal.
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Defining Mental Health Within a Transcultural Nursing Perspective #1
According to the World Health Organization (2013):
“… there is no health without mental health.”
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Determinants of mental health at any given point in time: “social, psychological and biological factors.”
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Defining Mental Health Within a Transcultural Nursing Perspective #2
Transcultural nurses should:
Understand patterns of values, beliefs, and practices for mental health care
Avoid stereotypes and ethnocentrism
Be aware of “norms”
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Question #1
Is the following statement true or false?
Ethnocentrism can manifest as feelings of superiority or discrimination with respect to one’s own group or culture over another group or culture.
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Answer to Question #1
True
Rationale: Ethnocentrism presents as subconscious disregard for cultural differences; it may also present as authoritative.
Example: believing that one’s own health care beliefs and practices are superior to another culture’s.
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Population Trends and Mental Health
Mental illnesses are identified as “common” in the United States.
Approximately 43.7 million adults (~19%), aged 18 or older, were currently, or within the past year, diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder.
Mental health care is moving from state and general “mental” hospitals to community-based service centers.
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Decision Making and Mental Health Care
Support and clear communication can be key to favorable outcomes for all clients.
Shared decision making (SDM) as a practice to advance mental health care encourages providers and consumers ...