Western or Traditional Healers? Understanding Decision Making in the Hmong Population

Abstract

Research has documented the influence of cultural values, beliefs, and traditional health practices on immigrants’ health care utilization in their host countries. We describe our findings of how Hmong immigrants to the US make decisions about whether and when to use traditional and/or Western health services. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 Hmong adults. We found their decisions depended on whether they classified the illness as spiritual or not and how they evaluated the effectiveness of different treatment options for their illness. Hmong participants’ expectations for effective treatment in traditional or Western health care encounters combined with physical evidence of an illness influenced their decisions and often led them to shift from one type of care to the other. Understanding cultural differences in perceptions of the causes of illnesses and the link between perceived cause and treatment is important to improving care for the Hmong population.

Afterword: Future Directions in Multinational, Multiregional, and Multicultural (3MC) Survey Research

“…Assumption: Concepts Are Understood in the Same Way in Both Languages Back translation also assumes that each bilingual translator interprets words or concepts as their study participants do, disregarding differences in translation based on class, age, education, and gender between each translator and between the translators and study participants (Lor, Xiong, Schwei, Bowers, & Jacobs, 2016;Schatzman & Strauss, 1955). Specifically, translators are often more aware of interlanguage variations in their native language than they are of those in another language, and they sometimes have limited awareness of interlanguage variations.…”

Paper Spirits and Flower Sacrifices: Hmong Shamans in the 21st Century

“…As health care providers work to ensure they are providing culturally congruent health care to their patients, an awareness of the continuing use of traditional healers and the goals of that care may provide perspective. Lor et al (2017) described the "need for a holistic care model that addresses all aspects of health, including spiritual and health beliefs among Hmong populations" (p. 410).…”

“…Younger Hmong consult shamans because they are seeking a cultural connection and identity. Since Hmong patients distinguish between physical and spiritual illnesses, they may, as Lor, Xiong, Park, Schwei, and Jacobs (2017) have noted, perceive of the need for a health care strategy that addresses the need for both traditional healers and physicians.…”

“There Are so Many Nuances . . . ”: Health Care Providers’ Perspectives of Pain Communication With Hmong Patients in Primary Care Settings

“…While most Hmong still believe in animism, many have integrated Christianity and Western medicine into their medical belief systems. These belief systems influence Hmong patients’ health care practices and choice of care providers (Lor, Xiong, Park, et al, 2017; Moua, 2020; Purnell & Fenkl, 2019). For instance, Hmong patients who perceive an illness to be related to a spiritual cause seek care from a shaman.…”