Journal of Transcultural Nursing

Recovery symptoms and related mood states during early recovery after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) have never been assessed in Thailand. This cross-sectional descriptive correlational study was to identify the relationships between frequency of recovery symptoms and mood states of a convenience sample of 91 Thai CABG patients during 2 weeks after discharge. Standardized tools/procedures were used to measure the variables of interest. The most common recovery symptoms were chest and leg incision pain, having trouble sleeping, and neck and shoulder or back discomfort. The most common mood states were confusion, anxiety, and anger, respectively. In addition, Thai CABG patients who had more frequent recovery symptoms also had greater negative mood disturbance. These findings provide a beginning explanation about the phenomena of recovery symptoms and mood states in a specific culture, Thai CABG patients.

The aim of this study is to explore the relationship of culturally based attitudes on breast cancer screening behavior of Chinese women currently residing in the United States. This cross-sectional study used a survey instrument that was administered to a consecutive nonprobability sample of 202 Chinese women residing in an urban Michigan county. Mood’s strength of cultural affiliation scale (SCAS) was modified for cultural appropriateness prior to being translated into Chinese, back-translated, and pretested prior to use for this study. Data were analyzed using descriptive, correlational, and multivariate analysis techniques. Statistical analyses revealed that cultural diversity within the Chinese sample was associated with differing health behaviors and that the SCAS had indirect effects, through access to health care, on women’s mammography screening use (R ² = 28.3%). These study’s findings reveal that cultural affiliation and beliefs are related to the breast cancer screening behavior of immigrant Chinese women.

Substance abuse, now in epidemic proportions in many cultures, is of major concern nationally and transculturally. It is important for nurses and other health care providers working with an increasingly multiculturally diverse client population to understand the cultural implications of caring for clients with alcohol and drug dependence. The purpose of this ethnonursing research study was to discover meanings and expressions of care for substance-dependent African American women in the research context of an inner-city transitional home. A convenience sample of 12 key and 18 general participants was included in this study. The study was conceptualized within Leininger’s culture care theory. Ethnonursing techniques of participant observation and focused in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Results included four universal care themes discovered in this study. Gender/cultural-specific care needs in relation to social structure, ethnohistory, and cultural context were discovered to influence the women’s health/well-being as they moved through recovery.

The purpose of this Internet study was to describe menopausal symptoms, perceived causes of the symptoms, and management strategies for the symptoms among five ethnic groups of Asian American women. Sixty-two university faculty and/or staff members aged 40 to 60 years who self-reported as Asian Americans and could read and write English were recruited through the Internet. An Internet survey was conducted, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The most prevalent symptoms were “worrying about body,” “aches in back of neck and skull,” and “weight gain.” Most of the women perceived “aging” as the main cause of their symptoms and chose not to manage their symptoms. The findings strongly suggest that women’s own explanation of their symptoms is frequently different from that of health care providers.

Assessing cross-cultural equivalence in quality of life (QOL) measures is important with Latino populations. It can be argued that Latino culture influences responses on QOL instruments that may be insensitive to detecting cultural differences. Although qualitative methods are predominately used in exploring cultural phenomena, structural equation modeling (SEM) is suggested as a method for assessing cultural invariance. This method provides confidence that response differences are based on actual differences rather than on interpretations of QOL instruments. SEM may reveal other, more nebulous characteristics of Latino culture that influence the conceptualization of QOL and responses on measures aimed at quantifying it.

The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ experiences and perspectives regarding child abuse in Taiwan. Semistructured interviews with Taiwanese nurses were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim for this descriptive study. The method of category development proposed by the grounded theory method was used to develop categorical themes that reflected the nurses’ experiences and perspectives. From the 18 registered nurses interviewed, four major categorical themes emerged that were integral to nurses’ experiences working with abused children: the meaning of child abuse, conflict, feeling frustrated, and nurses’ roles. Findings provide a base for understanding child abuse from the perspectives of nurses and a beginning understanding of interventions needed to improve identification and reporting of child abuse in Taiwan. Although nurses have considerable awareness and concern about child abuse, additional education related to this issue is needed.

Among the challenges health care personnel in California’s central valley face has been finding ways to help Hmong Americans manage chronic illness. Interviews were conducted with 11 Hmong shamans diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension and were qualitatively analyzed to ascertain respondents’ understanding and management of their illnesses. Hmong shamans are influential individuals within their communities and are often the resource persons to whom patients turn for information on health. Understanding the shamans’ perspective on chronic illness was seen as a gateway to understanding how the broader Hmong American community perceived these conditions. The concept of chronic illness was not well understood, resulting in sporadic medication and dietary regimens, limited awareness of potential complications, and a persistent impression that these illnesses could be cured rather than managed. Suggestions for patient educators include family and community involvement in care regimens and the use of descriptive terminology to identify the disease.

Racial and ethnic minority students have high attrition rates in nursing school. This article describes a qualitative study that explored 15 minority nursing students’ experiences while enrolled in a predominantly White nursing program. In-depth interviews were conducted and eight themes emerged: loneliness and isolation, differentness, absence of acknowledgment of individuality from teachers, peers’ lack of understanding and knowledge about cultural differences, lack of support from teachers, coping with insensitivity and discrimination, determination to build a better future, and overcoming obstacles. This article provides a voice for minority nursing students whose experiences have not been heard. By understanding these students’ experiences and perspectives, nursing educators may be better able to meet their educational needs and increase graduation rates.

The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of dementia caregiving in an ethnically diverse group of Latino caregivers, with the goal of identifying cultural influences on the caregiving experience. This qualitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study used Leininger’s ethnonursing approach. There were more similarities than differences in this multiethnic sample of Latino caregivers in understanding of dementia symptoms, beliefs about the caregiving role, and in the factors affecting ongoing care. A lack of knowledge about dementia, rather than culturally influenced beliefs, was the major deterrent to recognition of initial symptoms. Participants viewed family-centered home care as a culturally embedded value but were willing to consider placement when home care became impractical. Providers need to understand the ways in which caregivers must negotiate the tension between cultural beliefs and the demands of their individual circumstances.