Question

Critically examine perceived causes of chronic illness and disability in children from diverse cultures. Describe how the parental philosophic and religious beliefs affect their reaction to, or explanations for, the child's chronic illness and/or disability. Support your response with at least one scholarly journal reference.

Answer 1

Health Belief system:

The concept differs in each culture. The parents are believed in cultural-based practices rather than scientific evidence. The primary health care provider for the children is the family who manages the illness. They strictly follow the cultural practices to manage the illness which has passed from one generation to another generation. They follow the traditional method to treat the child and to restore the health.

EX: The African-American and Hispanic are less likely to visit the physician than the whites.

A Mexican-American family take the child to both the physician and traditional healer and treat with both the antibiotics and herbal tea.

Certain diseases also linked to influences of cultures. For Example,

• Blacks are more risk for pneumonia and diabetes.
• Native North American Children and adolescents are high risks of alcoholism and suicide.
• Mexican-American children are suffering from Pneumonia frequently than the North American children.

Causes of chronic illness and Disability:

Chronic illness and disability are one of the major health problems in America. The family has viewed the illness as God punishment. They perceived the illness and disability as a sign of Sin. Eugenics consider mental retardation of children is due to intercaste marriage. The chronic ill and disabled child is due to marriage within the close relatives. Further, some culture believes the disability is due to the imbalance of hot and cold of the affected individual. Latino believes the cause of illness and cure is based on the individual. The individual has to regain the balance. Hispanic Families believes in the traditional treatment based on hot/cold classification. In some Mexican-American take the chronic illness and disability in a positive way as God's will whereas some culture takes it as God punishment.

Research Issues for Improving Treatment of U.S. Hispanics With Persistent Mental Disorders

The research study shows that in the Mental health status and treatment of the ethnic group has shown the largest improvement.Latino has stronger evidence of reforming of the system. Latino sociocultural and biological heterogeneity persistent to improve the overall status of mental health.

Many research literature has identified that Hispanics and other minority groups have problems in access and quality of care.

Reference:

1.	2006 National Healthcare Disparities Report. AHRQ pub no 07-0012. Rockville, Md, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Dec 2006

2.Vega WA, Lopez SR: Priority issues in Latino mental health services research. Mental Health Services Research 3:189–200, 2001