Emotional labour and aboriginal maternal infant care workers: The invisible load

Kirkham, Renae; Rumbold, Alice; Hoon, Elizabeth; Stuart-Butler, Deanna; Moore, Vivienne

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2017.07.001

Cited by 10 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Connection with, and responsibility to, community was reflected on as essential to developing trust with patients and enabling AHWs to be effective in their work, as well as imbuing a profound source of satisfaction and pride. Specifically, building rapport with patients through knowledge of the community and recognising family connections was noted by AHWs to enable their health care role [ 34 , 35 ], to give them strength and confidence [ 36 ], and to encourage community members to come to the service [ 36 ]. Similarly, community representation among health care staff in the form of AHW roles was seen to increase the ‘candidacy’ of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to health services [ 37 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…AHWs in multiple studies described feeling like they were never off-duty even after work hours [ 6 , 37 , 38 ]. A blurring of private and professional life was also described [ 35 ], with AHWs feeling a responsibility to help people in the community: ‘you’ve got to give them something, or help in some way’ [ 12 ]. The high community expectation experienced by some AHWs was also described [ 38 , 39 ] and included fear of blame if and when something went wrong [ 35 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A blurring of private and professional life was also described [ 35 ], with AHWs feeling a responsibility to help people in the community: ‘you’ve got to give them something, or help in some way’ [ 12 ]. The high community expectation experienced by some AHWs was also described [ 38 , 39 ] and included fear of blame if and when something went wrong [ 35 ]. AHWs in one study described how such demands were personally challenging and could also create professional problems relating to clinical governance or confidentiality [ 35 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high community expectation experienced by some AHWs was also described [ 38 , 39 ] and included fear of blame if and when something went wrong [ 35 ]. AHWs in one study described how such demands were personally challenging and could also create professional problems relating to clinical governance or confidentiality [ 35 ]. The close connection of many AHWs with their community and perceived greater susceptibility to community conflicts, grief, and blame were described as a significant source of emotional labour for AHWs [ 35 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

“We are everything to everyone”: a systematic review of factors influencing the accountability relationships of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers (AHWs) in the Australian health system

Topp

Edelman

Taylor³

2018

Int J Equity Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundHealth policy in Australia positions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers (AHWs) as central to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health, with high expectations of their contribution to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes. Understanding how AHWs’ governance and accountability relationships influence their ability to address such health inequities has policy, programme and ethical significance. We sought to map the evidence of AHWs’ experiences of accountability in the Australian health system.MethodsWe followed an adapted qualitative systematic review process to map evidence on accountability relations in the published literature. We sought empirical studies or first-person accounts describing AHWs’ experiences of working in government or Aboriginal community-controlled services anywhere in Australia. Findings were organised according to van Belle and Mayhew’s four dimensions of accountability – social, political, provider and organisational.ResultsOf 27 included studies, none had a primary focus on AHW governance or AHWs’ accountability relationships. Nonetheless, selected articles provided some insight into AHWs’ experiences of accountability across van Belle and Mayhew’s four dimensions. In the social dimension, AHWs’ sense of connection and belonging to community was reflected in the importance placed on AHWs’ cultural brokerage and advocacy functions. But social and cultural obligations overlapped and sometimes clashed with organisational and provider-related accountabilities. AHWs described having to straddle cultural obligations (e.g. related to gender, age and kinship) alongside the expectations of non-Indigenous colleagues and supervisors which were underpinned by ‘Western’ models of clinical governance and management. Lack of role-clarity stemming from weakly constituted (state-based) career structures was linked to a system-wide misunderstanding of AHWs’ roles and responsibilities – particularly the cultural components – acting as a barrier to AHWs working to their full capacity for the benefit of patients, broader society and their own professional satisfaction.ConclusionsIn literature spanning different geographies, service domains and several decades, this review found evidence of complexity in AHWs’ accountability relationships that both affects individual and team performance. However, theoretically informed and systematic investigation of accountability relationships and related issues, including the power dynamics that underpin AHW governance and performance in often diverse settings, remains limited and more work in this area is required.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

“We are everything to everyone”: a systematic review of factors influencing the accountability relationships of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers (AHWs) in the Australian health system

Topp

Edelman

Taylor³

2018

Int J Equity Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We aimed to explore whether the roles women have in their family impact on them caring for themselves. We know that conflicting demands such as caring for a sibling's children while one parent is in prison, caring for family affected by mental ill health or caring for extended families' infants to prevent them from entering the child protection system contribute to the reported high levels of stress for many Aboriginal women [13]. A 2008 National Indigenous Social Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that 80% of Aboriginal people who participated in the survey had experienced at least one significant stressor in the year before participating in the survey [14].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Qualitative study of psychosocial factors impacting on Aboriginal women’s management of chronic disease

Eades

Hackett

Liu

et al. 2020

Int J Equity Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Aboriginal women are frequently called upon to support their families and other community members. At times, such supporting roles can be burdensome for these women. Many Aboriginal women live with chronic conditions. We explored the ways in which the women's caring roles impacted on how they maintained their own health. Methods: The aim of this manuscript is to explore the psychosocial factors associated with the management of health and chronic disease in Aboriginal women. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used for the analysis of 72 in-depth semi-structured interviews. These interviews were conducted in four community controlled Aboriginal health services, in urban, rural and remote settings, across two states and a territory in Australia. Results: Women living with chronic disease experience multiple challenges while caring for family, such as intergenerational trauma, mental health issues relating to addiction, domestic and family violence and incarceration. When these women become ill, they also have to take care of themselves. These women provided informal and unfunded care in response to a range of complex family and community problems. This continuous caring for family affected the women's ability to maintain their health and manage their own chronic conditions. Conclusion: The caring roles and responsibilities Aboriginal women have in their community impact on their health. Aboriginal women provide much needed refuge and support to family and the wider community. Underfunded and over-burdened formal support services are not meeting the needs of many Aboriginal women. Improved culturally secure resources and social services are required within communities to support Aboriginal women to successfully manage their own health.

show abstract

The Ethics of Overlapping Relationships in Rural and Remote Healthcare. A Narrative Review

Szumer

Arnold

2023

Bioethical Inquiry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is presently unclear whether a distinct “rural ethics” of navigating professional boundaries exists, and if so, what theoretical approaches may assist practitioners to manage overlapping relationships. To be effective clinicians while concurrently partaking in community life, practitioners must develop and maintain safe, ethical, and sustainable therapeutic relationships in rural and remote healthcare. A narrative review was conducted identifying a significant body of qualitative and theoretical literature which explores the pervasiveness of dual relationships for practitioners working in rural and remote healthcare. Rather than viewing dual relationships as ethically unacceptable, much contemporary work focusses on the lived experiences of healthcare workers and explores what approaches may be available that both protect the therapeutic relationship while recognizing the unique nature of rural and remote healthcare practice. We conclude that practitioners must have a means of operating within a contextually informed ethics of professional boundaries. Drawing on pre-existing work, one schema is proposed that could form the basis for further engagement through interactive teaching sessions, professional development, mentoring, or guidelines.

show abstract

Emotional labour and aboriginal maternal infant care workers: The invisible load

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

“We are everything to everyone”: a systematic review of factors influencing the accountability relationships of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers (AHWs) in the Australian health system

“We are everything to everyone”: a systematic review of factors influencing the accountability relationships of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers (AHWs) in the Australian health system

Qualitative study of psychosocial factors impacting on Aboriginal women’s management of chronic disease

The Ethics of Overlapping Relationships in Rural and Remote Healthcare. A Narrative Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About