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Culture, Communication and Child Health
Julian Grant
Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Flinders University, Adelaide SA
Yoni Luxford
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Flinders University
Adelaide, SA
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
Cultural beliefs and values implicitly and explicitly shape every aspect of the way we parent our children and how we communicate about parenting. To appropriately support parents in this new and challenging role, child health services for parents in Australia need to do more than acknowledge a diverse range of cultural practices. While many health professionals believe they act in culturally sensitive ways, we need to closely examine this belief, question the cultural assumptions implicit in the information we give, and assess the extent to which our interactions are culturally appropriate.
In this paper, we present a critical review of the literature on health care provision for migrant women and families. We then suggest a need to re-examine the values, beliefs and attitudes within cultural frameworks that inform how child health professionals communicate. Specifically, communication between child health professionals and migrant parents requires further analysis. We suggest that professionals need to reflect on the cultural self rather than solely on the culture of others.
Keywords
cultural competence, cultural safety, communication, child health professional, parenting
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