Coping strategies of older rural Bangladeshi women with health problems.

In this study we explore the strategies used by older women to cope with their ill health, in order to provide insight into how they might be drawn to use modern health services. We used qualitative methods to collect data from 17 older women living in Bibirchar Union, Sherpur District, Bangladesh. Participants reported that they utilized both emotion-focused and problem-focused strategies, and that many of these were faith-based.

From social liminality to cultural negotiation: Transformative processes in immigrant mental wellbeing.

The underlying psychosocial processes that produce immigrant mental wellbeing are understudied in anthropology and medicine. This paper provides insights into these processes by describing culturally diverse immigrants' perceptions of mental health and adaptation strategies. Qualitative data were collected from 21 focus groups as part of a large, multidisciplinary, participatory action research project about mental health with five ethnolinguistic groups (Mandarin-speaking Chinese, Polish, Punjabi Sikh, Somali and Spanish-speaking Latin American) in Ontario, Canada.

Taking culture seriously: ethnolinguistic community perspectives on mental health.

Objective: Ethnolinguistic communities are underserved by mental health systems in immigrant-receiving, multicultural societies, but their perspectives are seldom elicited in mental health research or reform planning. This article helps fill this gap by presenting community perspectives on concepts of mental health, mental illness and mental health experiences with five ethnocultural communities (Latin American, Mandarin-speaking Chinese, Polish, Punjabi Sikh and Somali) in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Data were collected from 21 focus groups as part of a large-scale, participatory action research project called Taking Culture Seriously in Community Mental Health.

Developing theory from complexity: reflections on a collaborative mixed method participatory action research study.

Research studies are increasingly complex: They draw on multiple methods to gather data, generate both qualitative and quantitative data, and frequently represent the perspectives of more than one stakeholder. The teams that generate them are increasingly multidisciplinary. A commitment to engaging community members in the research process often adds a further layer of complexity.

Perceptions of child maltreatment by parents from the Indian subcontinent: challenging myths about culturally based abusive parenting practices.

Clinicians and researchers emphasize the importance of recognizing differential cross-cultural definitions of child maltreatment, cautioning awareness that some ethnic groups may use harsher methods to discipline their children. Using a mixed-method research approach, based on questionnaire and focus group data, 29 parents of South Asian descent provided input on their attitudes toward child discipline, maltreatment, and neglect. Study findings suggest that South Asian parents do not differ significantly from other populations in their judgment of appropriate parenting approaches; that is, persistent and excessive use of physical discipline was considered to be inappropriate, behaviors of parents that may have negative emotional consequences for children were recognized as inappropriate, and lack of proper supervision of children was seen as a concern.