This qualitative research examined the representations of health and illness presented by 30 individuals who work as care workers, from three different locations: Eastern Europe, South America and Italy. We led three focus groups for people who came from the same geographical area (intra-ethnic) and two for those from ‘mixed’ areas (inter-ethnic). From our content analyses, certain similarities and differences between the conceptualizations of health and illness emerged: in the intra-ethnic focus groups, Eastern Europeans focused on ‘inner strengths’, South Americans on ‘love’ and Italians on ‘personal autonomy’. These peculiar traits were levelled in the inter-ethnic focus groups.
BerryJ WPoortingaY HSegallM HDasenP R (2002). Cross-cultural psychology: Research and applications (2nd ed.), Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
2.
BowenM EGonzalezH M (2008). Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between the Use of Health Care Services and Functional Disability: The Health and Retirement Study (1992-2004). The Gerontologist, 48(5), 659–667.
3.
Caritas/Migrantes (2010). Immigration. Statistical Dossier 2010. XX Report on Immigration. Dossier: 1991–2010: for a culture of the other (Italian report).
4.
CharmazK (2003). Grounded theory: Objectivist and constructivist methods. In DenzinN KLincolnY (Eds.), Strategies of qualitative inquiry (pp. 249–291). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5.
Dilworth-AndersonPWilliamsI CGibsonB E (2002). Issues of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Caregiving Research: A 20-Year Review (1980–2000). The Gerontologist, 42, 237–272.
6.
DixitSMishraMSharmaA K (2008). Conceptualisation of Health and Illness. A Study of SRs among Bondos of Orissa. Psychology & Developing Societies, 20(1), 1–26.
7.
DouglasD (2003). Grounded theories of management: A methodological review. Management Research News, 26, 44–60.
8.
EchabeA ECastroJ L (1999). The impact of context on gender social identities. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29(2-3), 287–304.
9.
FlickU (2000). Qualitative Inquiries into SRs of Health, Journal of Health Psychology, 5(3), 315–324.
10.
FortierJ PBishopD (2003). Setting the agenda for research on cultural competence in health care: final report. Edited by BrachC. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
11.
FortuneD GRichardsH LGriffithsC E MMainC J (2004). Targeting cognitive-behaviour therapy to patients’ implicit model of psoriasis: results from a patient preferred controlled trial. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43, 65–82.
12.
GeeJ P (2005). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method. London: Routledge.
13.
GouldingC (2002). Grounded theory: A practical guide for management, business and market researchers. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.
14.
HerzlichC (1969/1973). Health and Illness: A social psychological analysis. London: Academic Press Inc.
15.
JodeletD (1991). Madness and SRs. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
16.
JovchelovitchS (2004). Contextualiser les focus groups: comprendre les groups et les cultures dans la recherche sur les representations. Bulletin de Psychologie, 57(3), 471, 245–252.
17.
JovchelovitchSGervaisM C (1999). SRs of Health and Illness: The case of the Chinese Community in England. Journal of Community and Applied Psychology, 9, 247–260.
18.
KurmanJRonen-EilonC (2004). Lack of knowledge of a cultures social axioms and adaptation difficulties among immigrants. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35(2), 192–208.
19.
LeiningerM (1991). The theory of culture care diversity and universality. In: LeiningerM (eds.), Culture care diversity and universality: A theory of nursing (pp. 5–68). New York, NY: National League for Nursing.
20.
LeiningerMMcFarlandM (2002). Transcultural nursing: Concepts, theories, research, and practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical.
21.
LeventhalHLeventhalECameronLD (2001). Representations, procedures, and affect in illness self-regulation: A perceptual-cognitive approach. In BaumARevensonTSingerJ (Eds), Handbook of Health Psychology (pp. 19–48). New York: Erlbaum.
22.
LiL WFriesB E (2005). Elder Disability as an Explanation for Racial Differences in Informal Home Care. The Gerontologist, 45(2), 206–215.
23.
LockeK (2001). Grounded theory in management research. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications.
24.
MoscoviciS (1961/1976). La psychanalyse, son image et son public. Paris: Universitaires de France.
25.
MoodleyR (2000). Representation of subjective distress in black and ethnic minority patients: constructing a research agenda. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 13(2): 159–174.
26.
MontreuilABouhrisR Y (2001). Majority acculturation orientations toward “valued” and “devalued” immigrants. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32(6), 698–719.
27.
NeuendorfK A (2002). The Content Analysis Guidebook. London: Sage.
28.
StewartD WShamdasaniP N (1990). Focus Group. Theory and Practice. London: Sage.
29.
StewartS (2009). Sharing narratives on an Indigenous academic’s evolution: A personal experience of cultural mental health stories as research. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 4(1), 57–65.
30.
StraussJCorbinA. (1994). Grounded Theory Methodology. An overview. In DenzinN. K.LincolnY. S. (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 273–285). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
31.
VelottiPZavattiniG C (2008). The helping professions in multiethnic societies differences and similarities in health and illness representations. Developmental Cycle and Disability (Italian journal), 11, 101–111.
32.
WallhagenM IYamamoto-MitaniN (2006). The Meaning of Family Caregiving in Japan and the United States: A Qualitative Comparative Study. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 17, 65–73.
33.
WardC (2004). Psychological theories of culture contact and their implications for intercultural training. In LandisDBennettJBennettM (Eds.), Handbook of intercultural training (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
34.
WatsonRHoogbruinA LRumeuC (2003). Differences and similarities in the perception of caring between Spanish and UK nurses. Journal of Clinical nursing, 12, 85–92.
35.
WellsJ NCagleC SBradleyPBarnesD M (2008). Voices of Mexican American Caregivers for Family Members With Cancer: On Becoming Stronger. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 19, 223–233.
36.
WilkinsonS (1998). Focus Group in Health Research. Exploring the Meanings of Health and Illness. Journal of Health Psychology, 3, 329–348.
