It is important for clinicians to look beyond lifestyle, biology and genetics to consider factors such as poverty, culture, access and racism when working with Aboriginal women, concludes a recently released article from the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.
The article, written by Brenda Green, Faculty/Clinical Coordinator and Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education Coordinator at First Nations University of Canada. presents different practical and theoretical frameworks to inform clinical practice. The frameworks include approaches from the disciplines of nursing (Parse’s developmental psychology), sociology (critical social theory) and developmental psychology (ecological systems theory). The three frameworks together suggest ways that nurses can better understand power and empowerment and issues related to gender, race and poverty in their practical work.
See “Applying Interdisciplinary Theory in the Care of Aboriginal Women’s Mental Health,” Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing(published online July 2010), available at interscience.wiley.com.