The psychological effects of facing health care for Australian Indigenous people.
Indigenous people, when requiring westernised medical support, confront many issues. Facing treatment, stress can affect ones psyche, the family, the friends, and even community. Both stress and anxiety are major important factors, which require consideration when addressing the needs of Australian Indigenous groups. Health, development, personality and social factors can help explain psychological effects experienced by Indigenous people during hospitalisation. A study revealed that Australian Aborigines self-discharge from hospitals at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world. This study of an Alice Spring hospital, showed physician, institutional and …show more content…
According to Parker (2010) Aboriginal people experience a collective sense of self, where guidance on life decisions hold value in a reciprocal relationship within their culture, spirituality, community and country. Hunter, (1993) and McKendrick (1997) suggested that Indigenous people when hospitalized and coming from remote areas experience a feeling of separation from the family. This leads to the loss of a sense of self, resulting in severe stress. According to social cognitive theory, confusion about identity can cause anxiety and be associated with low self-efficacy, as the individual is unable to control threatening situations (Bandura, 1988). The strength of the study of social identity is qualitative rather than quantitative, and provides comprehensive personal accounts. Furthermore, it incorporates holistic views of Aboriginal epistemology (Crothers, 2014).
Weaknesses in research of Indigenous health care are methodologies and recruitment of participants. Williamson et al. (2014) study revealed that many instruments used for measuring mental health were not considered appropriate. Interviews and assessment of individual health conditions relied heavily on inter-rater reliability. Additionally, issues of accurate reporting of data collection were difficult in the identification of Indigenous people. Over a number of years unchanged evidence-based methods confounded much of the data (Dywer, Silburn & Wilson,
Indigenous people, when requiring westernised medical support, confront many issues. Facing treatment, stress can affect ones psyche, the family, the friends, and even community. Both stress and anxiety are major important factors, which require consideration when addressing the needs of Australian Indigenous groups. Health, development, personality and social factors can help explain psychological effects experienced by Indigenous people during hospitalisation. A study revealed that Australian Aborigines self-discharge from hospitals at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world. This study of an Alice Spring hospital, showed physician, institutional and …show more content…
According to Parker (2010) Aboriginal people experience a collective sense of self, where guidance on life decisions hold value in a reciprocal relationship within their culture, spirituality, community and country. Hunter, (1993) and McKendrick (1997) suggested that Indigenous people when hospitalized and coming from remote areas experience a feeling of separation from the family. This leads to the loss of a sense of self, resulting in severe stress. According to social cognitive theory, confusion about identity can cause anxiety and be associated with low self-efficacy, as the individual is unable to control threatening situations (Bandura, 1988). The strength of the study of social identity is qualitative rather than quantitative, and provides comprehensive personal accounts. Furthermore, it incorporates holistic views of Aboriginal epistemology (Crothers, 2014).
Weaknesses in research of Indigenous health care are methodologies and recruitment of participants. Williamson et al. (2014) study revealed that many instruments used for measuring mental health were not considered appropriate. Interviews and assessment of individual health conditions relied heavily on inter-rater reliability. Additionally, issues of accurate reporting of data collection were difficult in the identification of Indigenous people. Over a number of years unchanged evidence-based methods confounded much of the data (Dywer, Silburn & Wilson,