The childbearing Haitian refugee--cultural applications to clinical nursing. 1983

P A Dempsey, and T Gesse

As a result of the recent influx of Haitian refugees, referred to as the "boat people," the large county-owned hospital in Miami, Fla., reported that, of the 8,000 births for 1980, approximately 1 in 5 deliveries was of a Haitian woman. One hundred fourteen Haitians gave birth at that institution during July 1980, and this pattern continues to date. Although some research investigations have been conducted in relation to Haitians, none have had the specific focus of this study which used an assessment tool to develop a cultural profile of the refugee Haitian childbearing client as a basis for deriving culturally appropriate nursing goals and interventions. Ten pregnant refugee women, born in Haiti and residing in Miami, were interviewed in their homes by a Haitian (Creole-speaking) interviewer. Areas of respondent consensus and individual responses of interest are discussed in this paper. The authors have compiled a list of care givers' goals and interventions directed toward specific beliefs, values, and practices. Assumptions held by nursing personnel that all Haitian childbearing clients who have recently arrived in south Florida are so different as to have few characteristics in common with the American culture are not supported by the findings of this investigation. Rather, the findings suggest that the 10 Haitian women who were interviewed generally perceived pregnancy and its particular needs and characteristics in much the same way and with similar concerns as their American counterparts. The variations in their responses reemphasized the need for accurate culture-specific assessment of each client in order to provide appropriate health care. Replicating the study among the other cultures in the Miami area would extend the interpretations of this study and be an exciting challenge.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009732 Nursing Care Care given to patients by nursing service personnel. Care, Nursing,Management, Nursing Care,Nursing Care Management
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D012036 Refugees Persons fleeing to a place of safety, especially those who flee to a foreign country or power to escape danger, persecution, or economic distress in their own country or habitual residence. Asylum Seekers,Displaced Persons,Internally Displaced Persons,Political Asylum Seekers,Political Refugees,Asylum Seeker,Asylum Seeker, Political,Asylum Seekers, Political,Displaced Person,Displaced Person, Internally,Displaced Persons, Internally,Internally Displaced Person,Person, Displaced,Persons, Displaced,Political Asylum Seeker,Political Refugee,Refugee,Refugee, Political,Refugees, Political,Seeker, Asylum,Seekers, Asylum,Seekers, Political Asylum
D003469 Culture A collective expression for all behavior patterns acquired and socially transmitted through symbols. Culture includes customs, traditions, and language. Cultural Relativism,Customs,Beliefs,Cultural Background,Background, Cultural,Backgrounds, Cultural,Belief,Cultural Backgrounds,Cultural Relativisms,Cultures,Relativism, Cultural,Relativisms, Cultural
D005260 Female Females
D006205 Haiti A republic in the Greater Antilles in the West Indies. Its capital is Port-au-Prince. With the Dominican Republic it forms the island of Hispaniola - Haiti occupying the western third and the Dominican Republic, the eastern two thirds. Haiti belonged to France from 1697 until its rule was challenged by slave insurrections from 1791. It became a republic in 1820. It was virtually an American protectorate from 1915 to 1934. It adopted its present constitution in 1964 and amended it in 1971. The name may represent either of two Caribbean words, haiti, mountain land, or jhaiti, nest. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p481 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p225)
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults

Related Publications

P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
June 1988, The Canadian nurse,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
January 1985, Social work in health care,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
January 1993, Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric and mental health nursing,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
January 1996, The Medical journal of Australia,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
January 1987, Journal of nurse-midwifery,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
June 2017, International nursing review,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
January 2015, Perspective infirmiere : revue officielle de l'Ordre des infirmieres et infirmiers du Quebec,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
February 1990, Western journal of nursing research,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
January 2002, American journal of psychotherapy,
P A Dempsey, and T Gesse
January 1987, Migration world magazine,
Copied contents to your clipboard!