Chapter 9: Culture, Ethnicity, and Mental Health

Question 1

What is race?

Answer 1

it is a continuum that we cannot discretely categorize

people who share physical characterisitcs –> “genome”

Question 2

What is racism?

Answer 2

attidudes, behaviours among a population where social groups are identified, seperated , and treated as inferior or superior

• given differential access to power and other valued resources

Question 3

Do victims of racism experience profound mental health problems?

Answer 3

yes

Question 4

What is ethnicity?

Answer 4

common history, language and set of rituals shared by a group of people

creates a common identity

linked to national origin or religious histories –> “geographic”

Question 5

What is culture?

Answer 5

a common heritage or set of beliefs, norms and values that have been learned and adopted by a group of people

Question 6

What is acculturation?

Answer 6

gradual adoption of elements of the dominant culture and society by minority groups

ex: immigrants from china adopt canadian culture

Question 7

do younger or older people acculturate faster?

Answer 7

younger

Question 8

What is known as the “healthy immigrant effect”?

Answer 8

shows that immigrants have better health status than the general population born in a country

this is because of strict immigration policies and the screeening out of people with illnesses

Question 9

What is a refugee?

Answer 9

person who is forced to leave their country for fear of persecution or war or violence

well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

Question 10

Do many refugees suffer mental health problems due to the experiences before arriving in canada?

Answer 10

yes

Question 11

are immigrants of ethnic minority groups more or less likely to recieve mental health treatment in canada? Why (x4)?

Answer 11

• LEss-likely

Because…
- language barriers
- fear or feeling of shame about mental illness label
- mistrust of officials because of past experiences
- unfamiliarity with health care system

Question 12

What are “idioms of distress”?

Answer 12

people of different ethnocultural backgrounds have particular ways of experiencing, expressing, and coping with emotional distress

Question 13

What are “culture-bound syndromes”?

Answer 13

considered recognizable disease only within a specific society or culture

sometimes a result of misinterpretations or misperceptions of observers outside the culture

Question 14

Did Canada’s aboriginal people undergo forced colonization?

Answer 14

yes

Question 15

Did aboriginal people undergo forced assimilation to the dominant society of canada? if so, what statement was put out in 1998 to recognize what we had done?

Answer 15

yes

called “statement of reconciliation”

Question 16

What were residential schools in Canada?

Answer 16

where aboriginal childern were removed from their families and required to live in residence at school run by religious organizations

Question 17

What was the goal of residential schools in Canada

Answer 17

to “civilize” these children

Question 18

What did aboriginal people lose when they went to residential schools?

Answer 18

• loss of traditional language

Question 19

were children abused in residential schools?

Answer 19

yes

Question 20

How long did residential schools last?

Answer 20

for approx. 100 years

Question 21

What 3 mental health problems are of high concern in aboriginal people in canada?

Answer 21

1. depression
2. alcohol and substance use
3. high suicide rates

Question 22

Did children who were in residential schools lack family nurturance?

Answer 22

yes

Question 23

Is it important to ensure canadian health care workers are culturally competent, responsive, and respectful of interactions with indigenous peoples?

Answer 23

yes

Question 24

what is cultural safety?

Answer 24

emphasizes the vulnerability of individuals recieiving treatment in a health care system run by a dominant or colonizing culture

bringing about respect and making individuals feel safe in our health care systems

Question 25

What is decolonization?

Answer 25

process where a colonized group of people reclaim their traditional culture, redefine themselves as people and reassert their distinct identity

Question 26

process for decolonization is on slide 18