Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 18, Issue 2, 2016, Pages 428-435

“Can I Ask That?”: Perspectives on Perinatal Care After Resettlement Among Karen Refugee Women, Medical Providers, and Community-Based Doulas (Article)

LaMancuso K.* , Goldman R.E. , Nothnagle M.
  • a Department of Family Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University/Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, 111 Brewster Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860, United States
  • b Department of Family Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University/Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, 111 Brewster Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860, United States, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
  • c Department of Family Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University/Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, 111 Brewster Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860, United States

Abstract

This study characterized the perspectives of Karen refugee women in Buffalo, NY, their medical providers, and Karen interpreters/doulas on perinatal care for Karen women in resettlement. In-depth qualitative interviews with Karen women (14), Karen doulas/interpreters and key informants (8), and medical providers (6) were informed by the social contextual model and focused on women’s questions about and opinions of perinatal care in Buffalo and on providers’ experiences caring for Karen patients. Karen women expressed gratitude for and understanding of perinatal care in Buffalo, and providers described Karen patients as agreeable but shy. Karen doulas offered an alternative view that exposed women’s many questions and concerns, and described how doula training empowered them as patients’ advocates. Low self-efficacy, trauma histories, and cultural expectations may contribute to Karen women’s seeming agreeability. Doulas/interpreters possess insider knowledge of women’s concerns and facilitate communication between patients and the care team. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Perinatal health care Community-based doula Burma (Myanmar) Cross-cultural communication Refugee

Index Keywords

Vulnerable Populations vulnerable population Communication Barriers Doulas doula refugee Community Health Services community care human risk assessment Refugees communication disorder Asian continental ancestry group Adaptation, Psychological procedures interview Young Adult Humans psychology New York Interviews as Topic Infant, Newborn female newborn adaptive behavior pregnancy Mothers patient satisfaction organization and management mother adult Perinatal Care Culturally Competent Care transcultural care
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84923768799&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-015-0172-6&partnerID=40&md5=d292b267717133d85d60d807c6d2b193
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-015-0172-6
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English