Cultural Self-Assessment Assignment And Psychological Disord ✓ Solved
Cultural Self-Assessment Assignment and Psychological Disord
For this assignment, you will perform a cultural assessment of yourself. Your cultural self-assessment should include the following sections using the headings provided:
Worldview Brief
How do you see your place in the world?
Ethnohistory
What makes you a culturally unique individual?
Family and Social History
Follow ancestry back as far as you can, briefly.
Giger and Davidhizar’s 6 Cultural Phenomena
Communication
Space
Social Organization
Time
Environmental Control
Biological Variations
Professional and Generic Care Beliefs and Practices
What does it mean to be in good health?
Do you use home remedies or folk medicine?
Any foods that are taboo?
Generic and Specific Nursing Care Factors
How would you like to be treated by nurses?
What would be stressful to you about hospitalization, and how could this be improved?
What is good nursing care?
Formatting: The cultural assessment should be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, narrative form, organized with the headings above. Total length should be a minimum of 3 pages, not including title page or reference page.
Assignment 2: Psychological Disorder Analysis
Choose one psychological disorder and answer the following:
Briefly describe the criteria that qualify it as a disorder.
What kinds of medical treatments are recommended?
Discuss cultural views of this disorder (stigma or societal views).
Compare and contrast two theoretical perspectives (for example, psychodynamic and behaviorism) on how this disorder is viewed and how it would be treated.
Validate opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.
Paper For Above Instructions
Cultural Self-Assessment
Worldview Brief
I view my place in the world as that of a bicultural professional who navigates between a family-centered cultural background and a clinical, evidence-based health-care environment. My perspective values relational responsibilities and community wellbeing while also prioritizing individual autonomy and scientific knowledge in health decisions (Leininger, 1991).
Ethnohistory
My cultural uniqueness arises from mixed ancestry: parents from different regions with distinct linguistic and religious traditions. This blend shaped dual loyalties and adaptive cultural practices—observing family rituals while engaging in mainstream social institutions. Historical migration for work and education has influenced values of resilience and pragmatic problem-solving (Kleinman, 1988).
Family and Social History
Briefly, my family lineage includes multi-generational rural origins, later urban migration for employment and education. Family roles have been interdependent across generations, with elders respected as decision-makers but younger adults contributing financially. Social networks include extended kin and professional peers.
Giger and Davidhizar’s 6 Cultural Phenomena
Communication: I prefer direct, respectful verbal communication but value nonverbal cues (eye contact, tone). High-context family communication contrasts with lower-context clinical interactions (Giger & Davidhizar, 2002).
Space: Privacy within healthcare is important; personal space varies by setting and by who is present.
Social Organization: Family-centered decision-making is common; collectivist tendencies influence healthcare choices (Kirmayer, 2001).
Time: A pragmatic orientation to time—appointments and schedules matter—but family obligations can reprioritize time.
Environmental Control: Belief in combining biomedical care with home remedies at times; trust in medical professionals remains primary.
Biological Variations: Family history of hypertension and diabetes informs health vigilance and preventive care.
Professional and Generic Care Beliefs and Practices
“Good health” means functional ability, emotional balance, and capacity to fulfill family roles. Home remedies (herbal teas, dietary adjustments) are used for minor ailments; no strict food taboos, but certain foods are avoided during illness due to traditional advice.
Generic and Specific Nursing Care Factors
I prefer nurses who communicate clearly, show respect for family involvement, and provide culturally sensitive explanations. Stressful aspects of hospitalization include loss of control, unfamiliar routines, and limited family visitation; improvements could include family-centered rounding, clear care plans, and language-concordant materials. Good nursing care integrates clinical competence with empathy, cultural respect, and patient education (Giger & Davidhizar, 2002).
Psychological Disorder Analysis: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Diagnostic Criteria
Major Depressive Disorder is defined by DSM-5 criteria as the presence of five or more depressive symptoms during a two-week period, representing a change from previous functioning, with at least one symptom being depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure. Symptoms include significant weight or appetite change, sleep disturbances, psychomotor changes, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, diminished concentration, and recurrent thoughts of death (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Recommended Medical Treatments
Treatment typically combines pharmacotherapy (SSRIs, SNRIs, atypical antidepressants) and psychotherapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) have strong evidence bases; severe or treatment-resistant cases may consider electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or newer neuromodulation approaches (NIMH, 2020; Cuijpers et al., 2016). Medication choice is individualized based on symptom profile, side-effect tolerance, and comorbidities (APA, 2013).
Cultural Views and Stigma
Depression is interpreted variably across cultures: some emphasize somatic complaints (headaches, fatigue) rather than emotional language, leading to underrecognition in mental health settings (Kirmayer, 2001). Stigma persists broadly; in some communities depression is seen as a moral failing or spiritual weakness, which discourages help-seeking and increases social isolation (Kleinman, 1988). Effective care must recognize cultural idioms of distress and community beliefs to reduce stigma and improve engagement (WHO, 2020).
Comparing Psychodynamic and Behaviorist Perspectives
Psychodynamic perspective views depression as arising from unconscious conflicts, lost attachments, or internalized anger, emphasizing insight, exploration of early relationships, and therapeutic transference for treatment (Freudian-derived approaches). Treatment focuses on increasing self-awareness and resolving interpersonal patterns that maintain depressive states (Shedler, 2010).
Behaviorist perspective explains depression in terms of learned behaviors: reduced positive reinforcement, operant contingency shifts, and learned helplessness. Behavioral interventions such as behavioral activation systematically increase engagement in reinforcing activities to break the cycle of withdrawal and low mood (Lewinsohn; Seligman, 1975). CBT integrates cognitive restructuring with behavioral techniques and has robust empirical support (Beck, 1979; Cuijpers et al., 2016).
Comparison: Psychodynamic therapy prioritizes insight and relationship patterns over time; behaviorism emphasizes observable behavior change and measurable outcomes. For many patients, brief structured behavioral or cognitive-behavioral interventions yield faster symptomatic relief; psychodynamic therapy may offer deeper personality-level change but often requires longer duration (Shedler, 2010; Cuijpers et al., 2016). Integrative approaches and patient preference lead to better adherence—culturally adapted CBT and family-involved interventions are effective in diverse populations (Kirmayer, 2001).
Clinical and Cultural Implications for Nursing Care
Nurses should screen for depression using culturally validated tools, enquire about somatic symptoms, respect patient explanatory models, and collaborate with families when appropriate. Psychoeducation that normalizes symptoms, reduces stigma, and explains treatment options increases engagement (WHO, 2020). Combining pharmacologic treatment with behavioral activation and culturally sensitive psychotherapy yields the best outcomes, guided by patient values and social context (NIMH, 2020).
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: APA.
- Beck, A. T. (1979). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
- Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Weitz, E., Andersson, G., Hollon, S. D., & van Straten, A. (2016). The effects of psychotherapies for major depression in adults on remission, recovery and improvement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 202, 511–517.
- Giger, J. N., & Davidhizar, R. E. (2002). Transcultural nursing: Assessment and intervention (4th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
- Kirmayer, L. J. (2001). Cultural variations in the clinical presentation of depression and anxiety: implications for diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 62(Suppl 13), 5–12.
- Kleinman, A. (1988). Rethinking psychiatry: From cultural category to personal experience. Free Press.
- Leininger, M. (1991). Culture care diversity and universality. New York: National League for Nursing Press.
- National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Major depression. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression
- Seligman, M. E. P. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. W.H. Freeman.
- World Health Organization. (2020). Depression fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression