Culture, Identity and Wellbeing in Children and Young People Shanti Raman Area Community...
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Transcript of Culture, Identity and Wellbeing in Children and Young People Shanti Raman Area Community...
Culture, Identity and Wellbeing in Children and Young People
Shanti Raman
Area Community Paediatrician-CP
Sydney South West Area Health Service
Shanti Raman
Proposed Structure of Presentation:
Background Definitions Hypothesis Critical theories: identity, acculturation Culture and child rearing What needs to be done
Shanti Raman
Context
Migration: universal phenomenon Unprecedented internal/ external migration Australia today: dynamic multicultural society Globalisation:
– Rapid social change– Positive and negative results– Differential effects on the poor
Shanti Raman
Why cultural identity and wellbeing?
Global burden of mental health problems: in Australian children 1 in 6
Cultural influences on child development and behaviour
Little scholarly work on cultural identity and links to wellbeing in Australia
Emerging literature about protective role of ethnic identity
Shanti Raman
Culture(Frisby, 1992)
As a pattern of living, customs, traditions, values, attitudes as significant artistic/humanitarian/scientific achievement of the
group as “race consciousness” -guide individual identification as values, norms of the immediate context (eg of the family,
streets, etc) as refers to superficial differences between macro and micro
groups (ie clothing, music, speech) as refers to outer appearance (“culturally different”)
Shanti Raman
Definitions
Ethnicity:– ethnic self-identity– ascribed ethnic identity– cultural identity– racial identity– Nationality– descent
Race: measure of social exclusion/ inclusion
Helms J, 1997
Shanti Raman
Distinctions: racial and ethnic identity
Identity models
Racial: reactions to societal dynamics of “racial” oppression based on physical characteristics assumed to be racial or genetic in nature
Ethnic: if acquisition or maintenance of cultural characteristics (eg language, religion) are defining principles
Helms 1996
Shanti Raman
Cultural Identity
captures change, uncertainty and ambiguity incorporates diversity and pluralism there are a number of different ‘selves’ at different
levels and their true psychological integration will lead to better psychological functioning
Incorporates any factor that may account for
“differential” patterns of learned or shared behaviour
Acculturation
Those phenomena which result when groups of individuals with different cultures come into continuous first hand contact; subsequent changes in both groups (Redfield et al, 1936)
Shanti Raman
Acculturation
Phinney 1990, based on Berry et al 1986
So how does this relate to Childrearing.....
And child development, behaviour?
Shanti Raman
Child Development ….Complex….
Change is constant
Difference is the norm
Context is central
Shanti Raman
Culture.....Complex!
Change is constant
Difference is the norm
Context is central
Shanti Raman
Relationship between Culture, Moderator Variables
Dominant Culture
Influences
Nondominant
Cultural
Influences
Acculturation Enculturation
Ethnic/Racial
Identity
Psychological
functioning
Moderator
Variables
Moderator
Variables
Shanti Raman
Moderator Variables
Type of acculturating group (voluntary or forced) social characteristics oppression and legal constraints racism, prejudice and discrimination cultural characteristics language used and fluency individual characteristics
Shanti Raman
Where does that leave us?
Examining children and development in their cultural context…..complex
More problematic definitions: behaviour, disorder, illness, mental health,
Need to consider multiple levels: family, school, peers, society, health services
Culture and child development
“The biological immaturity of children is the only fact with any certainty that can be said about children’s development.”
Sami Timimi 2005
Shanti Raman
Parenting is a universal, but highly variable behaviour
– Feeding – sleeping – discipline and moral reasoning – toilet training – teaching – communicating– giving affection
Shanti Raman
It is known that childrearing practices influence the rate and expression of
children’s development
Shanti Raman
The Milestone Approach
Shanti Raman
The Age Range Approach: DDST
Shanti Raman
Not all children develop according to the commonly used guidelines:
Motor precocity of African infants who sit, crawl and walk at least two months earlier than caucasian infants (Ainsworth, 1977; Geber and Dean, 1957; Capute et al, 1985)
Fine motor precocity but delayed walking of Yucatecan Mexican infants compared to US norms (Solomons and Solomons, 1975)
Advanced attainment of pencil skills in Japanese children compared to British norms (Saida and Miyashita, 1979)
Slight motor delay of Mayan Indian infants compared to US norms (Brazelton, 1972)
Methodical problems in many studies prevent generalisation of findings
Shanti Raman
Cultural Differences in Skill and Behaviour
– Early motor development – Obedience– Toilet training– Verbal Skills– Temperament– Feeding– Crying– Independence– Learning– Sleeping
Shanti Raman
Early Emotional Learning in Infants:
A Cross-Cultural Examination Emotional and interactive behavior learnt in the 1st
year of life: much of this learning takes place subcortically
Wide review of published literature: Richman, Miller & Solomon, Le Vine et al, Barr, Brazelton, Sigel
2 widely divergent parental models:
– Pedagogic– Child centred
Commons and Miller 1998
Shanti Raman
Cultural differences in Parental Goals
Pedagogic: major goals are for children to learn to feel emotionally independent from their parents and to develop interactive and language skills
Child-centred: a model in which the most important goal is protecting the health and survival of the infant
Hallmark study: Le Vine et al 1994, Child care and culture: Lessons from Africa.
Shanti Raman
Pedagogic Model
Shanti Raman
Pedagogic Model (Western model)
Independence and Sleeping Patterns– infants in their own beds and often in their own rooms– lack of co-sleeping
Other Separation– relatively tolerant of other separations: eg infants left with
unrelated nonresident babysitters, weekend away
Verbalizing and face to face interaction– parents believe infants are active participants in interactions – they talk to, look at, smile at and interact with infants from birth
emphasis on verbal interaction, emphasis on physical contact Consoling
– mothers relatively tolerant of infant crying
Shanti Raman
Child-Centred Model
Shanti Raman
Child Centred Model: largely non-western
Independence and Sleeping Patterns– Co-sleeping and breastfeeding on demand
High physical contact Consoling
– respond rapidly to crying, high rates of holding and touching– increased holding by mothers tends to result in infants who cry less
Verbalizing and face to face interaction– do not typically talk to their infants extensively– do not see infants as capable of communicating or of understanding
language
– do not engage in stimulating face-to-face interactions
Shanti Raman
Cultural differences in Goals of Development
Western world: career, marriage, house, car, TV Traditional (Aboriginal): achieving full tribal status Immigrant families: children better off than parents,
security, pride in children’s success Factors influencing
– Parents own status– Migration story: refugee, economic, push/pull factors– Religious affiliations– Political environment– Gender
Shanti Raman
Contrasting Cultural Practices: Communication
There is an emphasis on nonverbal, observational learning for infants.
There is an emphasis on direct, verbal learning for infants.
Children learn language primarily through eavesdropping and observing. Adults usually do not “talk with” young infants.
Adults have “conversations” with young infants. Adults endow the smallest vocalisations of the baby with meaning and intentionality, and react to them emotionally.
Mainstream Non-Western
Shanti Raman
Contrasting Cultural Practices
During feeding the adult’s primary purpose may be to ensure that the child eats an adequate meal with the minimum amount of waste or mess.
Adults encourage infants to learn self-feeding, even if learning to self-feed means making a mess.
Babies are often in close physical contact with the parents or caregivers. These babies learn to use nonverbal communication such as gestures with their hands or changes in muscle tone or posture to get their needs met.
Babies spend a lot of time by themselves – sleeping in separate rooms, and amusing themselves in playpens – and learn to use verbal communication to get the attention of adults, e.g. calling out to the parent or caregiver out of necessity.
Mainstream Non-Western
Shanti Raman
Contrasting Cultural Practices
Children learn about adult activities by being present as adults go about their jobs and household tasks. Children have responsibility to learn culturally valued behaviours and practices by observing adults.
Children are provided with a scaled-down version of adult activities. During interactions in such activities the parent adjusts speech and actions to the child’s level of skill and understanding.
Toilet training is introduced when the child is quite young. The child learns through being cooperative in a partnership with the parent
Toilet training typically occurs when the child is physically
mature and able to talk. The child learns through becoming increasingly dependent
Mainstream Non-Western
Shanti Raman
What about psychological wellbeing?
Shanti Raman
?? Wellbeing: difficult to measure
Meta-analysis of acculturation and adjustment (1992) No consistent unidirectional effect SES very important Low SES groups: symptoms and conflict with acculturation High SES groups with ethnic social support networks: high self
esteem and coping (eg Asians) Ethnic social network + SES = sense of efficacy and adaptation
Shanti Raman
Ethnic Identity and Wellbeing in Chinese and Turkish teens in Netherlands (Verkuyten 1994)
4 types of identification: dissociative, acculturative (bicultural), assimilative, marginal
Majority were dissociative or acculturative Turkish: those who identified with own group and biculturals had
positive self esteem– Girls who were dissociative had higher self esteem than boys
Chinese: assimilative and marginal group had more negative feelings, correlated with low collectivism scores
Shanti Raman
Ethnic Identity in ethnocultural youth and Wellbeing (Roberts, Phinney et al 1999)
5,500 students in high school, Houston: AA, Euro, Hispanics, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, PI, mixed
Measures: Ethnic identity, self esteem, coping, optimism, mastery, loneliness, depression
MEIM: overall reliable across diverse groups High ethnic identity scores: associated with self-esteem, coping,
mastery and optimism Correlation of ethnic salience with MEIM: high European Americans: lowest scores on ethnic identity Indian and Pakistani teens highest scores on ethnic identity
Shanti Raman
Where does that leave us?
Culture, Identity, Wellbeing, Development…..– complex+++
Comprehensive assessment of effects of culture on children’s wellbeing may not be possible– but worth giving a shot
Need to consider multiple levels: family, school, peers, society, health services– also age, gender and language
Shanti Raman
Recommendations:
Socio-cultural/political background of immigrant gps Acknowledge importance of culture in children’s
behaviour and development Understand benefits of cultural capital Assessment of cultural identity:
– language use – cultural practices and pride – Perceived prejudice/discrimination– religious affiliation– socialisation with in-group