Parenting4Youth

Tools to help educators increase their cultural competences.

Pregnancy and childbirth through a cultural lens

"Treat others as you wish to be treated"

The Golden Rule

Patricia Santiago-Munoz, M.D.

" Cultural competence goes far beyond the Golden Rule – treat people as you would prefer to be treated. That works only when someone wants to be treated the same way as you."

Birth customs around the world

Nigeria

United States

Germany

The Netherlands

Japan

Bali

Latin America

Environment or genetics?

Why is cultural awareness important?

Health

Cultural and Social awareness

Environment

By increasing cultural and social awareness, educators can play an important role in the physical and mental health of pregnant youth.

• Family dynamics- don't make assumptions
• Modesty - Let your students talk to you about their pregnancy, or child. Use common sense, don't touch their belly without asking.
• Religious and cultural beliefs - everyone has different approaches to pregnancy and childcare.

Things to consider

Watch out for stereotypes

Refer students to local social services

Acknowledge your personal biases

What can educators do?

• What's my cultural identity?
• How's it similar/different from my students'?
• What assumptions do I have about other cultures?
• Are minority students given equal opportunities to express themselves?
• Do I respect, appreciate, and embrace diverse points of view?
• What's my comfort level when I'm with students who have cultural characteristics that are different from mine?
• Do I ask students from minority groups to be the class expert regarding that culture?
• What are my assumptions regarding students' diverse characteristics, and do I challenge these personal biases and assumptions?
• How do I respond to conflict and high-emotion situations?
• Do I use culturally competent techniques to challenge intolerance (in and out of class)?
• What are my teaching style preferences and what alternative methods do I use that help diverse students (for example, multimedia or psychomotor approaches)?

Bias self-assessment

Source: https://journals.lww.com/nursingmadeincrediblyeasy/fulltext/2018/03000/a_nurse_educator_s_guide_to_cultural_competence.5.aspx

• How students may perceive the learning environment and learning challenges
• What students think and do related to their own learning goals based on their social and cultural networks
• The type of education that students consider useful and appropriate
• Each student's own cultural identity and cultural awareness
• Each student's level of comfort with and commitment to the learning environment and the student-faculty roles within that environment.

Class assessment

References

• Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!: March/April 2018 - Volume 16 - Issue 2 - p 19-23 doi: 10.1097/01.NME.0000529955.66161.1e
• https://utswmed.org/medblog/cultural-competency-pregnancy/
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/world-birthing-traditions_n_7033790
• https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2018/01/importance-of-social-determinants-of-health-and-cultural-awareness-in-the-delivery-of-reproductive-health-care?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=otn

Thank you!