Ganando Confianza: Research Focus Groups with Immigrant Mexican Mothers

Immigrant families with children with developmental disabilities must be served using culturally sensitive approaches to service and research to maximize treatment benefits. In an effort to better understand cultural issues relevant to the provision of parenting programs for immigrant Mexican mothers of children with developmental disabilities, we conducted sustained focus groups through which we could learn more about our participants and thereby improve services. This paper reports on the challenges and lessons learned from these groups. We characterize the key lessons as (a) recruitment and retention is more than agreement to participate; (b) confidentiality is not just a word but an activity; (c) the complicated nature of language; (d) cultural norms shape the group process; (e) appreciating the value of taking time; and (f) gender issues and group interaction. Service providers and researchers who work with Mexican families may benefit from our experiences as they promote and develop programs and projects in the developmental disabilities field

Ganando Confianza: Research Focus Groups with Immigrant Mexican Mothers

Immigrant families with children with developmental disabilities must be served using culturally sensitive approaches to service and research to maximize treatment benefits. In an effort to better understand cultural issues relevant to the provision of parenting programs for immigrant Mexican mothers of children with developmental disabilities, we conducted sustained focus groups through which we could learn more about our participants and thereby improve services. This paper reports on the challenges and lessons learned from these groups. We characterize the key lessons as (a) recruitment and retention is more than agreement to participate; (b) confidentiality is not just a word but an activity; (c) the complicated nature of language; (d) cultural norms shape the group process; (e) appreciating the value of taking time; and (f) gender issues and group interaction. Service providers and researchers who work with Mexican families may benefit from our experiences as they promote and develop programs and projects in the developmental disabilities field

Challenges of teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students in K-2 classrooms

The schools across the United States are seeing a growing number of culturally and lin- guistically diverse students. As the population in the U.S. continues to become more diverse, there is an urgent need for the school districts to adapt to the change. Multicul- tural education isn’t a new movement among educators, but in recent years it has gained more attention due the high demand of meeting the needs of diverse learners. The need for culturally responsive classrooms is evident, and although the process of implement- ing multicultural pedagogy is slow, it is necessary. This study was conducted at Lakewood City Schools, in Lakewood Ohio, and included all kindergarten, first grade and second grade teachers at all seven elementary schools within the city’s school district boundaries. The case study was conducted by using qualitative and quantitative methods, and the purpose of this research was to find out the challenges that kindergarten, first and second grade teachers face daily while teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students. Mixed methods were used to gain deeper understanding of the teachers’ responses. The data collected from questionnaire and the interviews were analyzed carefully, and it was concluded that teachers feel more pre- pared to teach linguistically diverse students than culturally diverse students. This lead the study to focus on teachers’ mindsets, and it was discovered that in order to be a cul- turally responsive teacher one needs to have a growth mindset rather than a fixed mind- set. Furthermore, after finding what the challenges are it is my attempt to name strategies and practices that teachers can use to create more culturally responsive classrooms for all students. Previous research conducted on the topic is used to name successful meth- ods that have been used in other school districts to implement culturally responsive classrooms. However, ultimately it is the teachers themselves who has the greatest in- fluence on students and their learning

Sensitization to mouse and cockroach allergens and asthma morbidity in urban minority youth: Genes-environments and Admixture in Latino American (GALA-II) and Study of African-Americans, Asthma, Genes, and Environments (SAGE-II)

BACKGROUND: Pest allergen sensitization is associated with asthma morbidity in urban youth but minimally explored in Latino populations. Specifically, the effect of mouse sensitization on the risk of asthma exacerbation has been unexplored in Latino subgroups. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether pest allergen sensitization is a predictor of asthma exacerbations and poor asthma control in urban minority children with asthma. METHODS: Latino and African American children (8-21 years old) with asthma were recruited from 4 sites across the United States. Logistic regression models evaluated the association of mouse or cockroach sensitization with asthma-related acute care visits or hospitalizations. RESULTS: A total of 1,992 children with asthma in the Genes-environments and Admixture in Latino American (GALA-II) and Study of African-Americans, Asthma, Genes, and Environments (SAGE-II) cohorts were studied. Asthmatic children from New York had the highest rate of pest allergen sensitization (42% mouse, 56% cockroach), with the lowest rate in San Francisco (4% mouse, 8% cockroach). Mouse sensitization, more than cockroach, was associated with increased odds of acute care visits (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.47; 95% CI, 1.07-2.03) or hospitalizations (aOR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.81-5.18), even after controlling for self-reported race and site of recruitment. In stratified analyses, Mexican youth sensitized to mouse allergen did not have higher odds of asthma exacerbation. Other Latino and Puerto Rican youth sensitized to mouse had higher odds of hospitalization for asthma (aORs, 4.57 [95% CI, 1.86-11.22] and 10.01 [95% CI, 1.77-56.6], respectively) but not emergency department visits. CONCLUSION: Pest allergen sensitization is associated with a higher odds of asthma exacerbations in urban minority youth. Puerto Rican and Other Latino youth sensitized to mouse were more likely to have asthma-related hospitalizations than Mexican youth

How do surgeons experience and cope with the death and dying of their patients? A qualitative study in the context of life-limiting illnesses

BackgroundThe present qualitative study explores surgeons' experiences and coping mechanisms with the death of their patients in the context of life-limiting illnesses.MethodsNine Australian surgeons participated in in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview transcriptions allowed for identification of themes and subthemes. Methodological trustworthiness and rigor were preserved at all stages of the research process.ResultsThe essence of surgical practice, comprising participants' descriptions of their identity as surgeons, influenced their experiences and coping mechanisms when dealing with death and dying. The following subthemes were identified: distancing from patients, wanting to fix problems, doing in terms of operating on a patient, prominence of the surgeon's personal ability, and high personal responsibility for patient outcomes. Giving hope and having a mixed surgical practice were some of the coping mechanisms described by participants.DiscussionDeath and dying are a part of surgical practice, and surgeons face challenges as they care for dying patients. Although participants stated that they felt less affected by dealing with patients dying of life-limiting illnesses than by unexpected deaths, their descriptions of their encounters, reactions, and behaviors, as well as their use of language, suggest that these deaths have a lasting impact. Potential areas for improvement of surgical practice and approaches to teaching about death and dying in surgery are addressed. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest the need to expand research in this area.Sofia C. Zambrano, Anna Chur-Hansen, Gregory B. Crawfor