'Sometime They Run Away, That's How Scared They Feel'

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'Sometime They Run Away, That's How Scared They Feel'

The paediatric hospitalisation experiences of Indigenous families from remote areas of Australia

Laura Tanner

Kendall Agius

Philip Darbyshire
Department of Nursing and Midwifery Research and Practice Development, Children, Youth and Women's Health Service, University of South Australia; Flinders University, Adelaide SA

Abstract

Hospitalisation can be a traumatic experience for any child and family but the experience can be significantly more so for Indigenous parents and children from remote areas of Australia. Despite the importance of this issue for child and family health and for Indigenous health, the hospitalisation experiences of Indigenous families and children have received almost no research attention.

This paper describes selected findings from a recently completed Honours research study which used the participatory and collaborative Indigenous research approach of Dadirri to explore this question. Following a brief description of the methodology of Dadirri, the paper presents the participating families' depictions of their experiences of 'Coming Down' and 'Being in Hospital, where they revealed the extent and effects of marked culture shock.

The significant cultural differences between staff and Indigenous families contributed to the parents' sense of, fear, powerlessness and isolation from their child, home community and culture. For these families this isolation was not merely geographic but intricately linked to their health and wellbeing.

Keywords

hospitalisation, indigenous children, remote Australia, cultural safety, Dadirri, nurse-family interaction

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'Sometime They Run Away, That's How Scared They Feel'

The paediatric hospitalisation experiences of Indigenous families from remote areas of Australia

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