Immigrant and Refugee Explanatory Models of Chronic Disease

Recognizing and Breaking the Cycle of Trauma and Violence Among Resettled Refugees

“…Without proper communication and interpretation, not only is it challenging to conduct a thorough clinical assessment, but it also leaves refugees vulnerable to under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis, discouraging refugees from returning to the hospital to seek care again [ 71 ]. It is especially challenging to communicate about illness across cultures because each culture draws upon their own explanatory models, their own words, beliefs, and stigmas for illness, pain, and injury [ 72 ]. In the 1980s, the concept of “cultural idioms of distress” arose as a framework for better understanding how different people experience different forms of distress [ 73 ].…”

“…In the 1980s, the concept of “cultural idioms of distress” arose as a framework for better understanding how different people experience different forms of distress [ 73 ]. It was developed in response to earlier notions of “culture-bound syndromes” that categorized certain illnesses as specific to certain groups of people [ 72 ]. Cultural idioms of distress instead sought a more fluid understanding of illness.…”

“…Cultural idioms of distress are only one part of a larger effort to build cultural competency, a term that first arose during the Civil Rights Movement to address racial and ethnic disparities [ 78 ]. Cultural competency is a core part of many interventions that work with refugee communities and seek to be culturally sensitive and culturally immersive [ 72 ]. In the past decade, however, there has been a shift away from cultural competency to structural competency, which recognizes that racial and ethnic disparities are not only due to cultural barriers, but also due to economic, sociopolitical, and systemic forces [ 79 ].…”