Abstract
SESSION: Culturally and Socially Responsive Healthcare Services and Research With Diverse People Facing Structural Vulnerabilities: Part I
University of Hartford
University of Regina
Health disparities are experienced by populations facing structural vulnerability, including incarcerated and trafficked trans people; adults with intellectual disabilities; Indigenous children with disabilities; Black men; African American diaspora; and rural elders. Contributing factors include a lack of contextualized, participatory research; racialization, stigmatization, violence, sexual exploitation; and social and structural barriers to accessing health services. This session presents study findings by community-engaged acamedicians with these populations and discusses best practices for inclusive, ethical, innovative, strengths-based research. We suggest opportunities to address their health needs, and identify their inherent resilience, which can be fostered through health promotion initiatives and participatory research.
University of Regina
University of Regina
Inclusive Research Teams With People With Intellectual Disabilities.
People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) have the right to self-determination and to be supported to make health decisions. Healthcare providers and family members often underestimate their capacity to make choices. Researchers also may underestimate their ability for meaningful participation on research teams. Using the case of our evaluation project of plain language health decision-making resources, we discuss accommodations for authentic collaboration for PWID in all aspects of the research process and how pitfalls, such as tokenism, can be avoided. We aim to identify possibilities for genuinely inclusive practices and address a literature gap about best practice approaches with this population.
University of Regina
University of Saskatchewan
Walking in Two Worlds: Indigenous Social Service Providers’ Perspectives on Childhood Disability, Health, and Culture.
Racism, geographical isolation, mistrust in colonial healthcare systems, and jurisdictional complexity compound service access and navigation issues for Indigenous children with disabilities and their families, contributing to persistent health inequities. To address the need for culturally safe and responsive health services, it is necessary to understand individual and community needs, challenges, and assets. We interviewed Indigenous service providers of prevention, protection, and family supports to children and families in rural Saskatchewan First Nations communities. We discuss four themes—children as gifts; cultural knowledge preservation; rejection of biomedical labels; and diverse preferences of families—and implications for nurses.
Samuel Merritt University
An African American Diaspora Crossroad: Searching to Find True Belonging.
Those taken from Africa had the memories and the history of their culture, homeland, and families. The descendants of these original members of the diaspora have spent hundreds of years recognizing they were unable to trace their lineage back to their ancestors. There has always been a deep longing for a sense of belonging. With new DNA tracing, many who never believed it possible are tracing their roots back to their middle-passage ancestors. This nurse driven ethnographic study will use the findings to influence and improve the social determinates of health for African Americans as they find healing through belonging.
Utica College
Perceptions of Healthy Life Among Rural Elders: A Generational Perspective
Perspectives of a healthy life may differ depending on the natural, social, and human made or built environments one is exposed to. Rural communities have changed in the past 100 years in all three environments. Elders who were born in the early part of the 1900s faced many different challenges to health than those born mid-century. This paper overviews past perceptions of attaining healthy life among rural elders. It also presents changes in the social, cultural, geographical, and political climate of rural communities over time, that may alter perceptions of a healthy life, among the current generation of Elders.
SESSION: Culturally and Socially Responsive Healthcare Services and Research With Diverse People Facing Structural Vulnerabilities: Part II
University of Regina
University of Hartford
Health disparities are experienced by populations facing structural vulnerability, including incarcerated and trafficked trans people; adults with intellectual disabilities; Indigenous children with disabilities; Black men; African American diaspora; and rural elders. Contributing factors include a lack of contextualized and participatory research, racialization, stigmatization, violence, sexual exploitation, and social and structural barriers to accessing health services. This session presents the results of community-engaged studies with these populations and discusses best practices for inclusive, ethical, innovative, strengths-based research. We suggest opportunities to address their health needs, and identify their inherent resilience, which can be fostered through health promotion initiatives and participatory research.
University of Hartford
University of Costa Rica
State University of Rio de Janeiro
Ethical Considerations of Applied Qualitative Health Research for Trans Persons Who Experience Human Trafficking
Gender-diverse and trans persons are a vulnerable group at-risk for human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Incidents of violence and degradation are underreported, while stigmatization is great. Poorly represented in social and health research, evidence of the lived experience of this population is lacking. Applied qualitative health research adhering to ethical considerations for gender-diverse persons and the trans community is essential. Participatory Action Research (PAR) and other forms of community-based participatory research offer applied health researchers a humanity-affirming means to offer participants a voice while engaging in ethical research that respects the community and protects the rights and well-being of participants.
University of Costa Rica
Social Representation of Health Among Incarcerated Trans-Identified People in Costa Rica
In Latin America there are limited studies exploring the health of incarcerated trans people. However, it is well known that these individuals often lack access to healthcare services and medication. Despite the International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, several jurisdictions worldwide have no specific prison policy to lead prison management regarding the special needs of transgender people. Viewed through the lens of social justice and collective health, this qualitative research is aimed at identifying and understanding the common social representation of health among trans-identified people in Costa Rica who are institutionalized in prisons.
Samuel Merritt University
The Prevention of Human Trafficking in Primary Care: A Quality Improvement Project
A consistent theme among survivors of human trafficking was “not knowing” what human trafficking was, the signs of human trafficking, or how traffickers targeted their victims. The most impactful way to decrease the incidence of trafficking in communities is to close the knowledge gap through those who provide primary care services. The identification of gaps in education and prevention practices among FNP students is a critical first step in addressing human trafficking as a public health crisis. This nurse-driven quality improvement project will inform educators of primary care providers in building confidence to prevent incidences of human trafficking.
State University of Rio de Janiero
Implications for Applied Social Science: The Absence of Information Regarding Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation on Death Certificate Records of Trans Women in Brazil
Worldwide, transgender women live in extreme conditions of vulnerability, particularly in the Brazilian context, where the group is highly stigmatized. Moreover, Brazil ranks first in the world in homicides against transgender persons. Despite their extreme vulnerability, studies on incidences of violence and deaths perpetuated against trans persons are limited. This paper explores the social implications for public health protection policies and procedures. The need to answer important health questions pertaining to this population is paramount. The underreporting of violence and murder of transgender persons is exacerbated by the absence of information regarding gender identity and sexual orientation on death certificates.
State University of Rio de Janeiro
University of Hartford
Concepción University
University of Alicante
State University of Rio de Janeiro
Structural Factors and Local Mediations of Nursing Work in Brazil, Chile, Spain, and the United States After COVID-19
Global healthcare systems were impacted by macrostructural and determinant features of the COVID-19 epidemic. The nursing workforce, which had been in decline globally, suffered a major setback. In addition to the decline in professionals, changes in the number and kind of nursing employment as well as a decline in pay was manifested. A preliminary analysis of conditions in Brazil, Chile, Spain, and the United States demonstrates that many changes are related to political economic determinants, stemming from neoliberalism. This paper focuses on the collective organizational capacity of nurses’ representations, by the organization of services at the local level and community participation.
SESSION: Perspectives and Applications of Cultural Competence in Health Care and Education
Chair: Christie Emerson
Kennesaw State University
Perspectives and Applications of Cultural Competence in Health Care and Education
As society becomes increasingly culturally diverse, the need for comprehensive cultural competence development is vital for delivery of high-quality health care in diverse cultural contexts. How do we develop needed cultural skills in healthcare professionals? What aspects of culture do patients want their caregivers to understand? How does cultural competence development of providers affect the experiences of patients? What are the issues of culturally diverse healthcare teams? What are the characteristics of culturally competent organizations? This session will examine issues related to culture and cultural competence development in the provision of healthcare.
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University
Weaving Cultural Development Concepts Through Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum.
The purpose of this paper is to report student recommendations for cultural development by curriculum enhancement. In a related study that evaluated student perceptions of the benefits of using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) in their senior year in a baccalaureate nursing program, students recommended curriculum enhancement by incorporating cultural development throughout the program. This paper reports the qualitative analysis of student suggestions and provides recommendations on how to implement weaving culture throughout the program.
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University
“I Never Knew I Had a Culture”: Nursing Student Perceptions of the Intercultural Development Plan on Intercultural Development
Intercultural competence is essential to providing quality healthcare. There are many approaches to promoting intercultural competence development. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is a theory-based assessment tool that creates an individualized Intercultural Development Plan (IDP) for developing intercultural competence based on individual IDI results. This study analyzed student journals for their perceptions about the impact of the IDP on personal intercultural development while in a nursing senior practicum. Themes were that the IDP supported awareness of the influence of culture, self-awareness, and fostered growth goals. Study results have several Implications for promoting intercultural competence development and thus improving healthcare.
Widener University
University of Vermont
Cultural Competence in Caring for Victims of Sex Trafficking: Understanding the Unique Needs, Barriers, and Challenges of Survivors
While awareness of human sex trafficking has greatly increased since the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2020, the identification and treatment of victims by health care providers remains limited by a lack of education, personal biases, social norms, and stigmatizing behaviors that disengage, alienate, or further traumatize victims. Viewed through the lens of cultural humility and social justice, this work demonstrates ways that nurses can develop cultural competence to assess and understand the victim’s individual, cultural, and structural barriers to exit; the intersecting vulnerabilities confronting victims; and the provision of culturally sensitive, trauma informed care.
University of Hartford
Confronting or Reinforcing Gender Diversity Biases: Best Practices in Cultural Pedagogy.
Applied scientists interacting with marginalized populations run the risk of inadvertently causing harm if they have not confronted their own assumptions and biases. Within health science disciplines, several tools are used in training professionals and pre-professionals to do this. Undertaking this with insufficient preparation, however, can lead to reinforcing rather than disrupting preconceptions. This paper will explore the literature in this area and discuss the use of case studies, role-play, remote observation, and high-fidelity simulation to prepare health professionals to provide culturally congruent care to transgender and gender-nonconforming populations.
State University of Rio de Janeiro
University of Hartford
Concepción University
Alicante University
State University Rio de Janeiro
Health Care Systems at a Crossroad: Social Networks in Nursing Work Processes in Brazil, Chile, Spain, and the USA Before and After COVID-19.
Through interactions and ongoing information and resource sharing, social networks constitute a web of connections built on solidarity, shared interests, and objectives. When viewed as the social fabric, it can increase the bonds between social actors in support of common, group objectives. The nursing process of primary care nurses suffered a huge blow with COVID-19 with newly configured consequences for nursing work post-pandemic. This paper explores shifts in the primary healthcare practices of nurses in Brazil, Chile, Spain, and the United States. It is informed by applied anthropological concepts integrated with real-world nursing practice.
PANEL SESSION: Examining Nurse Errors in the Light of Organizational Culture: What Can We Learn?
Georgia Department of Health
Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
Brigham Young University
In March 2022 a registered nurse was found guilty of a patient’s death after she administered the wrong medication. In September 2010, a veteran nurse in a children’s critical care unit administered a lethal dose of calcium to an infant who later died. The nurse committed suicide on April 3, 2011. These events happened in the United States. This panel engages applied anthropologists and nurses in a discussion regarding medication errors. Using organizational culture in healthcare we examine the role of organizational culture in errors, organizational responsibilities in preventing errors, and how applied anthropology may help inform us regarding medication errors.
SESSION: Mental Illness Amongst Academics: Exploring Perceptions, Pitfalls, and Possibilities at a Research-Intensive Canadian University
Post-secondary instructors and researchers living with mental illness are a distinct equity-seeking group on Canadian campuses. Attempts to support the inclusion of academics with mental illness not only benefit such individuals, but also positively impact students and institutions by destigmatizing mental illness and improving educational experiences. Unfortunately, little is known about how this group experiences life on campus or how students relate to academics with mental illnesses. Presentations in this session explore student perceptions of instructors with mental illnesses, academics’ experiences of disclosing these conditions, and how instructors and researchers position themselves with regard to notions of “disability.”
Queen’s University
University of Saskatchewan
University of Winnipeg
University of Saskatchewan
Mental Illness in Academia: Current Understandings and Future Directions.
Although the literature on mental illness rates and experiences among post-secondary students has increased, mental illnesses in faculty members is a relatively unexplored area. This presentation will overview the state of the literature on mental illness rates and experiences among post-secondary instructors. Particular attention will be paid to experiences of disclosure of mental illness amongst instructors, the benefits and risks of disclosure, and how professors navigate disclosure choices in academia. This presentation will set the stage for further presentations in this session, which examine current studies in the area of academic mental illness.
University of Saskatchewan
University of Winnipeg
University of Saskatchewan
Queen’s University
The Impact of Postsecondary Instructors’ Mental Illness Disclosures on Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and Academic Outcomes.
Little is known about how post-secondary instructors’ disclosures of their personal experiences of mental illness might influence student perceptions and outcomes. To address this gap, we asked undergraduate students from the University of Saskatchewan with instructors who had disclosed mental illness to the class about how this disclosure impacted their perceptions of the instructor and their behavioral intentions with respect to this individual. Overall, students’ perceptions of their instructor and their instructor’s disclosure of mental illness were positive. Notable trends and patterns in the data are discussed.
University of Winnipeg
University of Saskatchewan
Post-Secondary Students’ Perceptions of Instructors Who Disclose Their Mental Illness: Implications for Classroom Pedagogy.
For post-secondary instructors living with mental illness, considering whether to disclose our mental health conditions to students has become a pressing issue, in particular given increased levels of self-reported anxiety and depression among post-secondary students in Canada, and the potential for relational bridges that disclosures might build in the classroom. This presentation will highlight notable findings from post-secondary students surveyed after their instructor had disclosed their mental illness, including their perceptions of instructor approachability, attitudes toward people living with mental illness, levels of respect for their instructor, and perceptions of their instructor’s competency. Implications for classroom pedagogy will be discussed.
University of Saskatchewan
Athabasca University
It’s Complicated: Academics With Mental Illness Reflect on Disability Identities
Employees of postsecondary universities in Canada are frequently asked to self-identify as belonging to various minority groups, including those living with “disabilities.” In cases of academics living with mental illnesses, we found that deciding whether or not to self-identify as “disabled” can be a complex process shaped by individual understandings of “disability,” past experiences, interpersonal comparisons, and internalized stigma. In this presentation, we explore why various academics living with mental illnesses do or do not identify as “disabled” and speak to the potential implications of this decision-making process for employees, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) programs, and campus leadership.
University of Saskatchewan
University of Winnipeg
University of Saskatchewan
Academia and Mental Illness: An Exploration of the Risks Associated With Disclosure.
The concealable nature of mental illness burdens individuals with the decision of whether or not to disclose their diagnosis. Much of the literature has focused on motivations to disclose or conceal stigmatized identities, highlighting benefits that come with disclosure such as access to supports and reduction of stigma. However, little is known about the risks that come with disclosing mental illness, particularly in the context of post-secondary instructors. The current presentation will explore the experiences of Canadian post-secondary instructors in disclosing their mental illness within an academic setting. Particular attention will be paid to risks of burnout and compassion fatigue.