Understanding the Culturally Diverse in Psychiatry Rather than Being Culturally Competent – a Preliminary Report of Swedish Psychiatric Teams' Views on Transcultural Competence
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
ISSN: 1747-9894
Article publication date: 1 December 2007
Abstract
While the literature contains plenty of theoretical models for cultural competence training of health care staff, the personnel and clinicians have seldom been asked for their views on transcultural competence. Focus group interviews that we carried out in this study showed that the main concern of the participants (interprofessional teams in Swedish psychiatry) is to understand the culturally diverse in psychiatry, rather than being culturally competent. Three major themes of the process of understanding emerged in our analyses: (1) diversity reflection (sub‐themes: reflecting on co‐existent cultural differences and similarities, moving from a one‐dimensional to a multi‐dimensional approach to cultural diversity and self‐reflection), (2) cultural knowledge and skill acquisition (generic and specific) and (3) communication (sources, discrimination). Listening to staff's learning needs may motivate greater sensitivity to the needs of their culturally diverse patients.
Citation
Shahnavaz, S. and Ekblad, S. (2007), "Understanding the Culturally Diverse in Psychiatry Rather than Being Culturally Competent – a Preliminary Report of Swedish Psychiatric Teams' Views on Transcultural Competence", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 14-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/17479894200700024
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited