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Biomedical subjects

J G Lipson

Publications and source records attributed to J G Lipson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

We are the canaries: self-care in multiple chemical sensitivity sufferers.

This ethnographic study investigates the experiences of living with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), a condition increasing in prevalence but medically contested, on which very little qualitative research has been done. Participant observation included two treatment centers, a support organization, an Internet chat room, and conversations with MCS sufferers, activists, and educators. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 33 people with MCS, recruited to reflect a broad demographic range and severity of illness variation. This article describes several methodological issues associated with doing "peer research" and then describes self-care for symptom management. With no known cure, MCS sufferers manage their symptoms through three main avenues: prevention/avoidance, detoxification, and emotional self-care. Implications include education of health care providers and a warning from those who have MCS: "We are the canaries in the coal mine; what has happened to us will happen to many others unless we clean up our environment."

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Health as continuity and balance in life.

Research on immigrant health emphasizes that the elderly are more vulnerable than other age groups in many immigrant populations. This study describes the meanings of health, illness, and disease for Iranian elderly immigrants in Sweden and their relationships with life disruptions. Analysis of interviews using an interpretive-phenomenological method illustrates that the participants, experience health as continuity and balance in life. Any disruption of this balance creates a sense of illness that is only partially related to the emergence of disease. Participants did not view health and disease as polarized. Rather, disease is just one component among many that may disrupt the experience of health. Health is perceived as a sense of well-being, can be achieved in spite of disease, and can be disrupted even in the absence of disease. This description of the meaning of health, disease, and illness contrasts with the Western biomedical perspective and is similar in its holism to various non-Western medical systems and complementary approaches. This knowledge can foster more culturally sensitive care.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

An ethnographic study of a day care center for Iranian immigrant seniors.

Late-in-life immigrants are often at risk for psychological stress and social isolation because of language problems, small social networks, and cultural differences from the host society. Community intervention programs can reduce such stress and isolation. In this article, the authors describe a Swedish municipality's culturally appropriate intervention program for elderly Iranian immigrants based on ethnographic data gathered during a 12 month period. The description includes the activities provided by the program and the experiences of the elderly Iranian immigrants who participate regularly in these activities. The findings document the positive impact of regular participation in the center's activities on the elders' well-being and health.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Cultural aspects of disability.

This article describes cultural and social issues related to disability based on the authors' experiences as researchers, clinicians, and activists and personal experience. They address the complexity of the topic of disability subculture by arguing that there is not one disability subculture and then describe common themes that characterize the social context of people with disabilities and one highly visible disability subculture. Clinical and research implications are mentioned. The definition of culturally competent care should be broadened to include disability.

Cultural Characteristics↗
PubMed1997

Afghan refugee issues in the U.S. social environment.

Since Afghan refugees began coming to the United States in the early 1980s, the Afghan community of the San Francisco Bay Area has become the largest in the United States. This population copes with a number of stressors that negatively affect their health and psychological well-being. Based on an ethnographic study, we focus on the social context in which Afghan refugees find themselves, describing Afghans' perceptions of their interactions with mainstream American citizens and health and social service providers. The theme running through all such interactions is information--its scarcity, character, and cultural differences in type, purposes, and means of transmission. Quotes from interviews illustrate four types of problems: economic and occupational problems, health-care access, family and children's issues, and immigration issues/ethnic bias. Policy and program recommendations are applicable to other recent refugee populations that experience similar information problems with regard to the dominant society.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Afghan Health Education Project: a community survey.

This study assessed the health concerns and needs for health education in the Afghan refugee and immigrant community of the San Francisco Bay Area. The study used a telephone survey, seven community meetings and a survey administered to 196 Afghan families through face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed qualitatively and statistically. Health problems of most concern are mental health problems and stress related to past refugee trauma and loss, current occupational and economic problems, and culture conflict. Physical health problems include heart disease, diabetes and dental problems. Needed health education topics include dealing with stress, heart health, nutrition, raising children in the United States (particularly adolescents), aging in the United States, and diabetes. Using coalition building and involving Afghans in their community assessment, we found that the Afghan community is eager for culture- and language-appropriate health education programs through videos, television, lectures, and written materials. Brief health education talks in community meetings and a health fair revealed enthusiasm and willingness to consider health promotion and disease-prevention practices.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1992

The cultural consultant in mental health care: the case of an Arab adolescent.

Limited understanding by mental health providers of an immigrant's cultural background can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. A case involving the psychiatric hospitalization of an adolescent from Iraq is described, as are the role of a cultural consultant in clarifying cultural issues and the positive consequences for diagnosis and treatment. Implications for the training and function of cultural consultants in mental health care are discussed.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1992

Esther Lucile Brown--a memorial.

Esther Lucile Brown, who died in 1990 at the age of 92, was a social anthropologist at the Russell Sage Foundation for more than 30 years. Among her contributions were ground-breaking studies of the professions and stimulation of the development of medical social science. Her research on nursing stimulated professionalization and nursing education's move into the university. The accuracy of her research findings on nursing and psychosocial aspects of patient care led many to assume that she was a nurse. This memorial focuses on her contributions and personal impact on friends and colleagues.

Anthropology, Cultural↗
PubMed1992

Health issues of Afghan refugees in California.

Since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, more than 6 million Afghan refugees have become the world's largest refugee population. Although refugees in Pakistan and Iran are now beginning to repatriate, continuing political turmoil in Afghanistan and children's acculturation and educational opportunities will keep many Afghans in the United States permanently. Although there are no accurate statistics, local resettlement agencies and Afghan community leaders estimate that there are 10,000 to 35,000 Afghans in northern California. They suffer from a variety of problems common to refugees: language, economic and occupational problems, and substantial challenges in psychological, family, social, and cultural adjustment to the United States. Although many Afghans are doing well, many others have depression, psychosomatic symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Assessing Arab-American health care needs.

A health needs assessment was conducted with Arab-American immigrants in northern California. Data were obtained from community forums, key informants, the U.S. Census, and from a survey of 47 Arab immigrants. In the community forums, parenting difficulties, marital conflicts, and health risks were identified. Key informants (clergy, community leaders, health professionals) identified mental health problems related to child rearing, referrals for appropriate services, education to assist Arab women interface with the health and education systems, and translation and cultural interpretation for Arab patients and health care providers. Arab patients requesting health care identified referrals for appropriate care, advocacy, education about the medical regimen, and technical assistance obtaining care. Social indicators indicated potential needs for health services for those of lower income. A survey of 47 Arab-Americans indicated that predominant illnesses experienced in the past year were upper respiratory infections, cardiovascular and hypertension, diabetes, and family and social stress. Health-related problems reported most frequently were family stress, adjusting to the U.S., managing acute illness, coping with adolescents, and marital stress. For the most part, this group was satisfied with medical care received and stated that their most important health services were health education, availability of Arab speaking health providers, and referrals for appropriate treatment.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1987

Arab-American patients: a medical record review.

This exploratory study consisted of a medical record review of patients with Arabic surnames who utilized outpatient, inpatient, or emergency facilities of a university medical center and a public teaching hospital from 1975 to 1981. The purposes of the study were to describe help-seeking behavior of Arab-American patients, including why they sought care and whether they posed problems for providers, and to determine if the medical records identified culturally-related care needs. This report describes data from 106 charts reviewed with reference to demographic data, illness behavior, and use of facilities. The findings revealed more about charting habits of health professionals than about unique characteristics of patients in this ethnic group.

Cultural Characteristics↗
PubMed1983

Issues in health care of Middle Eastern patients.

Relationships between Middle Eastern patients and Western health care professionals are often troubled by mutual misunderstanding of culturally influenced values and communication styles. Although Middle Easterners vary ethnically, they do share a core of common values and behavior that include the importance of affiliation and family, time and space orientations, interactional style and attitudes toward health and illness. Problems in providing health care involve obtaining adequate information, "demanding behavior" by a patient's family, conflicting beliefs about planning ahead and differing patterns of communicating grave diagnoses or "bad news." There are guidelines that will provide an understanding of the cultural characteristics of Middle Easterners and, therefore, will improve rather than impede their health care. A personal approach and continuity of care by the same health care professional help to bridge the gap between Middle Eastern cultures and Western medical culture. In addition, periodic use of cultural interpreters helps ameliorate the intensity of some cultural issues.

Aged↗