Journal of Transcultural Nursing

Purpose: To compare the prevalence of migraine headaches in the Romany population with the prevalence in the general Spanish population and to describe its association with demographic and clinical risk factors. Method: A cross-sectional study using data from the 2006 Spanish National Health Survey (n = 16,079) and the National Health Survey in the Romany Population (n = 993). Inclusion criteria were migraine headache diagnosed by a neurologist, suffered over the preceding 2 weeks that reduced work or leisure activity by half a day or more. Results: The prevalence of migraine in the Romany population (29.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 26.48-32.53) was significantly higher than in the general Spanish population (12.52%, 95% CI = 11.85-13.22). Females (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.10-2.21), those ≤40 years old (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 1.78-9.62), those sleeping ≤8 hours/day or less (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.32-2.59), those with body mass index >30 kg/m² (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.15-2.65), those suffering from osteoarthritis (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.54-4.36), and those suffering from allergy (OR = 1.69, CI = 1.05-2.71) were associated with higher incidence of migraines. Romanies with migraines reported worse self-perceived health status (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.41-3.15) and higher incidence of depression (OR = 2.09 95% CI = 1.32-3.30) than those without. Discussion: Prevalence of migraines is greater in the Romany living in Spain than in the general Spanish population. Implication for practice: Public health systems should focus prevention campaigns specifically on this population and concentrate on those factors that are potentially modifiable.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the concept of child vulnerability as perceived by Iraqw and Datoga peoples in northern Tanzania. Design: A mixed methods design was used, which included semistructured interviews (n = 32) and a questionnaire (n = 80) administered to members of the two ethnic groups. Findings: Five main themes emerged: (a) lack of resources, (b) intentional mistreatment, (c) deprivations (d) losses suffered, and (e) dealing with deprivation. Conclusions: The literature describes child vulnerability in terms of deprivation in an individual younger than 18 years. The following four issues were also identified as being of special local significance: (a) discrimination against handicapped, illegitimate, and foster children; (b) the child is viewed as a resource rather than an individual with rights, (c) unrelated fostering is unusual, and (d) few strategies are known to study participants. Implications for practice: Community development and children’s rights need attention, particularly for disabled and illegitimate children. The most vulnerable children can be identified using existing mechanisms, assistance may be channeled through the mother, and unrelated fostering and volunteer involvement can be encouraged.

Kenya has approximately 1.4 million adults infected with HIV/AIDS, with a national prevalence rate of approximately 7.4%. The majority of the Kenyan people have not participated in a Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) program and do not know their HIV status. This increases the likelihood of infecting others and spreading the disease. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore HIV-positive women’s experiences and perceptions about VCT programs. In-depth interviews were conducted with 29 rural women and 6 themes emerged: Living in fear, making the decision to be tested, the journey toward acceptance, changing behavior, planning for the future, and encouraging others to be tested. VCT programs are crucial in attaining goals related to the prevention and management of AIDS. By exploring these women’s experiences and perceptions, issues concerning AIDS and the acceptance and use of VCT may be better understood.

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of logo-autobiography (LA) as a therapeutic modality for Korean immigrant women suffering from depression and perceiving their lives as meaningless. A nonrandomized quasi-experimental study was conducted with pretest, posttest, and a 4-week follow-up test. Forty subjects—20 with antidepressants and 20 without—were divided quarterly and assigned to the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group reported a significant lower score on depressive symptoms (F = 6.832, p = .013; F = 19.800, p ≤ .001) and a higher score on meaning of life (F = 12.294, p = .001; F = 12.232, p = .001) than did the control group immediately after completing the LA and a 4-week follow-up. The LA was more effective for the subjects in the nonmedication group than in the medication group. In conclusion, LA is effective in reducing depressive symptoms and increasing a sense of meaning in life among Korean immigrant women suffering from depression.

East Asia has historically unique concepts of health and well-being and thus is an appropriate setting for exploring the multicultural applicability of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association’s Nursing Diagnoses (NANDA ND) system. This study aimed to explore how NANDA ND affect the growth and quality of professional nursing from the perspective of Taiwanese nurses. Grounded theory was employed in this interview-based investigation of 53 Taiwan-licensed nursing professionals at various hospitals in Taiwan. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis until theoretical saturation was reached. The core concept, Struggling with (the NANDA ND notion that) One Size Fits All, emerged after ongoing analysis of the effects of NANDA ND on good nursing, patient welfare, and professional development. The preliminary theoretical framework developed from this study provides evidence that NANDA ND may be incompatible with the cultural beliefs of the traditional Chinese health care setting in Taiwan, which emphasize holistic harmony and balance.

The lived experiences of being resilient as described by 13 single Taiwanese mothers after divorce was the focus of this study. A descriptive phenomenological approach to inquiry was the theoretical framework underpinning the study. Information was gathered through two in-depth face-to-face digitally recorded interviews with each participant. Each of the participants had suffered from depression. For the analysis of the participants’ transcripts of interview the authors used Colaizzi’s method. Four themes emerged from the analysis process: having faith in God, bending with the ebb and flow of daily life, finding strength in the support and friendship of others, and new found freedom and hope for the future. Findings of this study have the potential to enhance understanding of the mental health needs of single mothers and their children in the provision of holistic health care delivery.

This interpretive ethnographic study describes the experiences of northern British Columbian Aboriginal mothers raising adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and provides an understanding of how the mothers interpreted and responded to their adolescents’ FASD. The all-encompassing theoretical perspectives of postcolonialism provided the conceptual guide for this study. This ontological stance facilitates discourse on the social and historical context of this research focused on northern British Columbian Aboriginal mothers. Using semistructured interviews and participant observation, eight participants were interviewed three times over a period of several months. Data were analyzed using an interpretive analysis to generate an overarching cultural theme, Mothering from the Margins. The theme conveyed how study participants understood FASD and how they were raising their adolescents within the social and historical context unique to postcolonial societies.

Purpose: This study describes causal beliefs about depression among Dominican, Colombian, and Ecuadorian immigrants. The authors describe participants’ narratives about how particular supernatural or religious beliefs may contribute to or alleviate depression. Method: Latino primary care patients (n = 177) were interviewed with the Beliefs About Causes of Depression Scale, a list of 35 items rated from not at all important to extremely important. Participants had the option of expanding on responses using an informal conversational approach. Underlying themes of these explanatory comments were derived from narrative and content analysis. Results: Major themes that emerged were Psychosocial and Religious and Supernatural causal beliefs. A third theme emerged that represented the integration of these categories in the context of the immigrant experience. Discussion and Conclusions: This article adds to the understanding of cross-cultural beliefs about depression. Psychosocial stressors related to the immigrant experience and adverse life events were highly endorsed, but the meaning of these stressors was construed in terms of religious and cultural values. To provide culturally appropriate services, nurses should be aware of and discuss the patient’s belief systems, illness interpretations, and expectations of treatment.

Purpose: This study supports best practices in nursing education and the need for cultural competency among faculty members. The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of cultural competency among on-campus Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) faculty compared with those of online BSN faculty. Design: The research used a quantitative, nonexperimental, descriptive, correlational design. The Cultural Diversity Questionnaire for Nurse Educators (CDQ-NE) was e-mailed to 500 BSN faculty at five research sites (N = 222). The instrument included Likert-type scale items organized into the components of cultural competence according to Campinha-Bacote. Results: The lowest levels of cultural competency were among the on-campus group (3.95). Faculty teaching both online and on-campus had the highest levels (4.0). Discussion/Conclusions: A significant finding indicated that training within the past 5 years in cultural competency reflected higher scores. Implications: These findings suggest that some cultural competency training should be mandatory for all BSN faculty, whether it occurs during their orientations or as part of nurse-educator curricula at the graduate levels.

Korean women who migrate to a foreign country with their children for the latter’s education while their husbands stay in Korea as breadwinners are referred to as “goose mothers.” The cultural beliefs that have contributed to the formation of this family form and the experiences of these women need to be explored within their cultural context. To understand this population, Confucianism as a cultural background and its influence on goose mothers’ value systems, family systems, and view of self were explored. Based on the learning, their potential health issues are described and implications for culturally competent care are suggested.

This is a case study about an 87-year-old Mexican American partera and her stories about her life and practice on the Texas–Mexico border from the 1930s until 1995. These stories describe strong and competent women who rode horses to remote areas to help with many deliveries of babies throughout their lives. Sra. B, the lay midwife agreed to be interviewed so that her work could be shared with others. The stories discussed told part of what she lived. These stories included clinical pearls that told about how to use “a few drops of oregano . . . and salt,” and how to handle situations in which “the Lord was the only one who could help us,” among others. These interviews tell part of the story about how Sra. B learned, lived, and practiced as a partera and how she is remembered by the families throughout the area.