Objectives: Although an extensive amount of research has been devoted to models defining cultural... more Objectives: Although an extensive amount of research has been devoted to models defining cultural competence of healthcare professionals in short-term care, there is unclarity about the cultural competencies that professionals providing lifelong care and support should have. The current study aimed to explore which cultural competencies are used by these healthcare professionals, and whether these competencies enabled them to make cultural adaptations to their regular care practices. Design: To investigate cultural competencies and cultural adaptations, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with eight professionals who provide lifelong care and support to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Five cultural competencies were explored: awareness, knowledge, skills, motivation, and encounters. Results: A thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that professionals providing lifelong care and support used all cultural competencies in their care practices. Moreover, our analysis suggested that these competencies could be categorized as either practical or analytical cultural competencies. Although these competencies were conditional in order to make cultural adaptations to care practices, the presence of cultural competencies did not automatically lead to these cultural adaptations. Conclusions: All five cultural competencies were used by professionals in lifelong care and support. Our analysis revealed that both practical and analytical cultural competencies were essential in providing culturally sensitive lifelong care and support. We additionally suggest that the cultural competence of professionals is necessary, but not sufficient, for making cultural adaptations to lifelong care and support for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In many cases, other factors also played a role in a professional's final decision to adapt their care practices.
To what extent and in what ways do companies take gender into account in their design decisions? ... more To what extent and in what ways do companies take gender into account in their design decisions? In the past, commerce has been criticized for designing for the dominant group in society—the notorious young, white, able-bodied, highly educated male—to the exclusion of user groups who do not fit these criteria. It has been argued that by designing for everybody, designers in fact unconsciously follow the male norm in society. The question of this article is the following: Which dominant design methodologies can be found in practice when designers make products aimed to include women? The ways in which gender gets drawn into the design process for a large diversity of ICT products will be reviewed, such as for games, Web sites, mobile phones, and computer parties.1
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
This study set out to answer the question ‘Which kinds of agency do refugees perform when dealing... more This study set out to answer the question ‘Which kinds of agency do refugees perform when dealing with mental health problems of themselves and their children?’. Aiming to gain more insight in why it seems harder for refugee parents and minors than for the native population to talk to health professionals about their mental health and wellbeing, we combined two theoretical notions of agency to investigate a broad spectrum of informants’ behaviour. We conducted 25 interviews with 30 refugees from 8 countries (Syria, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Eritrea, Turkish Kurdistan, Vietnam), whose Dutch residence permit varied from 26 years to less than one year. Data were analysed through open and axial coding, followed by pattern analyses. Although sometimes refugees seek (mental) healthcare, at other times they show agency by doing ‘nothing’ or by deliberately using distracting activities to deal with severe stress. Making use of resources available to them, oftentimes refugees show a...
OBJECTIVE Intercultural difficulties between GPs and patients are important contributors to healt... more OBJECTIVE Intercultural difficulties between GPs and patients are important contributors to health disparities. Framed in an interpretivist paradigm, this paper's thematic analysis examined how Turkish-Dutch patients' expectations of Dutch GPs may result in intercultural communication difficulties. METHODS Five focus group discussions were conducted with 21 participants of Turkish-Dutch background. Participants were asked to discuss perceived differences between GP-patient encounters in the Netherlands and Turkey. RESULTS Our study revealed that Turkish-Dutch patients regularly expect Dutch GPs to show other behavior than they perceive to obtain on two themes, 1) dealing with patients' symptoms and 2) communication. In general, Turkish-Dutch patients expect Dutch GPs to show faster, more decisive and informative behavior in diagnostics and treatment. These expectations seem based on their experiences with practitioners in Turkey and on differences between health care systems. CONCLUSIONS GP-patient difficulties appear primarily the result of underlying frustrations rather than clashes resulting from differences in explanatory models of illness or cultural values. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Whereas systemic differences are more difficult to alter, difficulties in the communication are more readily amenable to change. Patient-centered communication and information about the reasons for being restrictive in diagnosing and treating on symptoms could alleviate these frustrations.
The aim of this chapter is to explore to what extent heteronormativity, the norm that man and wom... more The aim of this chapter is to explore to what extent heteronormativity, the norm that man and woman are attracted to each other because of their presumed difference and complementarity, can offer an explanation for the persisting association between masculinity and technological/computer competence. Two aspects of heteronormative gender relations, namely sexual attractiveness and the heteronormative division of labour are particularly explored. The main focus in this chapter is on how technological competence and the gendered division of labour and of sexual attractiveness are represented in mass media. Along with this, some examples of the consequences of these heteronormative imaginaries and ideology for people’s lives will be given. Amongst youth popular soap operas, stereotypical images are repeated of technologically competent men and socially competent women. For some women, this image also seemed to dominate in their personal lives, where they seemed to want to stay away from...
In this paper the situation in the Netherlands concerning the positions women hold in the media s... more In this paper the situation in the Netherlands concerning the positions women hold in the media sector and how this relates to the position of women in the Dutch labour market will be assessed. Subsequently, the existing research on the numbers of women and the ways they are depicted in the media is discussed. The section on policy debate, discusses the position and policies of the Dutch government and other actors on gender inequalities in the media, including relevant good practice examples. The final sections concludes, which policies and initiatives could be interesting to transfer.
To cite this article: Martine Dijkstra & Els Rommes (2021): Dealing with disability: challenges i... more To cite this article: Martine Dijkstra & Els Rommes (2021): Dealing with disability: challenges in Dutch health care of parents with a non-Western migration background and a child with a developmental disability , Disability and Rehabilitation,
ABSTRACT This paper looks at how shame functions in the teaching of sexual and reproductive healt... more ABSTRACT This paper looks at how shame functions in the teaching of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the classrooms for 13–19 year-olds in secondary schools in Bangladesh. Using the theoretical framework of affect, the paper looks at shame and other experiences of discomfort and hesitation among teachers while teaching these topics to young people. Drawing insights from 25 in-depth interviews with teachers in secondary schools in urban, semi-urban and rural settings, the paper explores how teachers deemed teaching certain topics as ‘excessive’, unnecessary and inappropriate in school settings. Teachers experience reluctance and discomfort in discussing culturally sensitive sexual and reproductive health and rights topics, and a persistent fear of being ridiculed and excluded from their community. By exploring how affect can be understood to initiate critical reflection about classroom norms, pedagogy and the role of teachers, the paper highlights the challenges for teachers who are seen as gatekeepers of sexual and reproductive health and rights knowledge, and brings forth a more nuanced reflection on the knowledge production process in classrooms.
Background: Culturally sensitive care is essential for improving healthcare for ethnic minorities... more Background: Culturally sensitive care is essential for improving healthcare for ethnic minorities with intellectual disabilities (ID), who require intensive, sometimes lifelong, care and support. Aims: The present study aimed to uncover factors that may complicate the delivery of culturally sensitive care for ethnic minorities with ID, which have not previously been studied for this group. Methods and procedures: By means of in-depth interviews with care professionals we identified these factors at the care receiver, professional, and institutional levels. Outcomes and results: Eight factors were found to complicate the delivery of culturally sensitive care: abilities of the individuals with ID, communication with the family of the care receiver, cultural competency of the professional, personal attitude and experience of the professional, job position and responsibilities of the professional, resources, legislation and protocols, and the team of colleagues. The factors at the care receiver level were specific for the delivery of culturally sensitive care to individuals with ID. Conclusions and implications: In addition to the complicating factors previously identified for other forms of culturally sensitive healthcare, we identified novel complicating factors for the care of individuals with ID. Future research should investigate how these complicating factors could be overcome.
Youth empowerment is the main goal of sex education according to Dutch Government and NGO policie... more Youth empowerment is the main goal of sex education according to Dutch Government and NGO policies. Academics from different disciplines have argued, however, that the ideal of empowerment through education is problematic, because of the unequal power relations implicated in educational practices. Building on one-anda-half years of online and offline ethnographic fieldwork among Dutch youth, this article argues that Dutch sex educational policies inhibit rather than encourage young people's empowerment by allowing only a limited number of sexual knowledge building practices to thrive while making others nearly impossible. In order to facilitate young people's empowerment, policies should aim to create space for young people to develop their own themes and priorities, to offer a multitude of perspectives, to set the pace and to use different strategies for sexual knowledge building, including learning by doing and online learning. This requires a cultural shift that involves both an openness to young people's experimentation, and a change in existing power hierarchies based on age. ... the Dutch approach to the subject [of teenage sexuality] has been to encourage self-reliance, respect for self and respect for others. The approach has been positive, emphasising sex as part of everyday life and something to be celebrated. This positive, empowering approach is remarkable in comparison to other countries, including European countries such as the UK, where debates about sex education are sometimes
Objectives: Although an extensive amount of research has been devoted to models defining cultural... more Objectives: Although an extensive amount of research has been devoted to models defining cultural competence of healthcare professionals in short-term care, there is unclarity about the cultural competencies that professionals providing lifelong care and support should have. The current study aimed to explore which cultural competencies are used by these healthcare professionals, and whether these competencies enabled them to make cultural adaptations to their regular care practices. Design: To investigate cultural competencies and cultural adaptations, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with eight professionals who provide lifelong care and support to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Five cultural competencies were explored: awareness, knowledge, skills, motivation, and encounters. Results: A thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that professionals providing lifelong care and support used all cultural competencies in their care practices. Moreover, our analysis suggested that these competencies could be categorized as either practical or analytical cultural competencies. Although these competencies were conditional in order to make cultural adaptations to care practices, the presence of cultural competencies did not automatically lead to these cultural adaptations. Conclusions: All five cultural competencies were used by professionals in lifelong care and support. Our analysis revealed that both practical and analytical cultural competencies were essential in providing culturally sensitive lifelong care and support. We additionally suggest that the cultural competence of professionals is necessary, but not sufficient, for making cultural adaptations to lifelong care and support for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In many cases, other factors also played a role in a professional's final decision to adapt their care practices.
To what extent and in what ways do companies take gender into account in their design decisions? ... more To what extent and in what ways do companies take gender into account in their design decisions? In the past, commerce has been criticized for designing for the dominant group in society—the notorious young, white, able-bodied, highly educated male—to the exclusion of user groups who do not fit these criteria. It has been argued that by designing for everybody, designers in fact unconsciously follow the male norm in society. The question of this article is the following: Which dominant design methodologies can be found in practice when designers make products aimed to include women? The ways in which gender gets drawn into the design process for a large diversity of ICT products will be reviewed, such as for games, Web sites, mobile phones, and computer parties.1
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
This study set out to answer the question ‘Which kinds of agency do refugees perform when dealing... more This study set out to answer the question ‘Which kinds of agency do refugees perform when dealing with mental health problems of themselves and their children?’. Aiming to gain more insight in why it seems harder for refugee parents and minors than for the native population to talk to health professionals about their mental health and wellbeing, we combined two theoretical notions of agency to investigate a broad spectrum of informants’ behaviour. We conducted 25 interviews with 30 refugees from 8 countries (Syria, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Eritrea, Turkish Kurdistan, Vietnam), whose Dutch residence permit varied from 26 years to less than one year. Data were analysed through open and axial coding, followed by pattern analyses. Although sometimes refugees seek (mental) healthcare, at other times they show agency by doing ‘nothing’ or by deliberately using distracting activities to deal with severe stress. Making use of resources available to them, oftentimes refugees show a...
OBJECTIVE Intercultural difficulties between GPs and patients are important contributors to healt... more OBJECTIVE Intercultural difficulties between GPs and patients are important contributors to health disparities. Framed in an interpretivist paradigm, this paper's thematic analysis examined how Turkish-Dutch patients' expectations of Dutch GPs may result in intercultural communication difficulties. METHODS Five focus group discussions were conducted with 21 participants of Turkish-Dutch background. Participants were asked to discuss perceived differences between GP-patient encounters in the Netherlands and Turkey. RESULTS Our study revealed that Turkish-Dutch patients regularly expect Dutch GPs to show other behavior than they perceive to obtain on two themes, 1) dealing with patients' symptoms and 2) communication. In general, Turkish-Dutch patients expect Dutch GPs to show faster, more decisive and informative behavior in diagnostics and treatment. These expectations seem based on their experiences with practitioners in Turkey and on differences between health care systems. CONCLUSIONS GP-patient difficulties appear primarily the result of underlying frustrations rather than clashes resulting from differences in explanatory models of illness or cultural values. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Whereas systemic differences are more difficult to alter, difficulties in the communication are more readily amenable to change. Patient-centered communication and information about the reasons for being restrictive in diagnosing and treating on symptoms could alleviate these frustrations.
The aim of this chapter is to explore to what extent heteronormativity, the norm that man and wom... more The aim of this chapter is to explore to what extent heteronormativity, the norm that man and woman are attracted to each other because of their presumed difference and complementarity, can offer an explanation for the persisting association between masculinity and technological/computer competence. Two aspects of heteronormative gender relations, namely sexual attractiveness and the heteronormative division of labour are particularly explored. The main focus in this chapter is on how technological competence and the gendered division of labour and of sexual attractiveness are represented in mass media. Along with this, some examples of the consequences of these heteronormative imaginaries and ideology for people’s lives will be given. Amongst youth popular soap operas, stereotypical images are repeated of technologically competent men and socially competent women. For some women, this image also seemed to dominate in their personal lives, where they seemed to want to stay away from...
In this paper the situation in the Netherlands concerning the positions women hold in the media s... more In this paper the situation in the Netherlands concerning the positions women hold in the media sector and how this relates to the position of women in the Dutch labour market will be assessed. Subsequently, the existing research on the numbers of women and the ways they are depicted in the media is discussed. The section on policy debate, discusses the position and policies of the Dutch government and other actors on gender inequalities in the media, including relevant good practice examples. The final sections concludes, which policies and initiatives could be interesting to transfer.
To cite this article: Martine Dijkstra & Els Rommes (2021): Dealing with disability: challenges i... more To cite this article: Martine Dijkstra & Els Rommes (2021): Dealing with disability: challenges in Dutch health care of parents with a non-Western migration background and a child with a developmental disability , Disability and Rehabilitation,
ABSTRACT This paper looks at how shame functions in the teaching of sexual and reproductive healt... more ABSTRACT This paper looks at how shame functions in the teaching of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the classrooms for 13–19 year-olds in secondary schools in Bangladesh. Using the theoretical framework of affect, the paper looks at shame and other experiences of discomfort and hesitation among teachers while teaching these topics to young people. Drawing insights from 25 in-depth interviews with teachers in secondary schools in urban, semi-urban and rural settings, the paper explores how teachers deemed teaching certain topics as ‘excessive’, unnecessary and inappropriate in school settings. Teachers experience reluctance and discomfort in discussing culturally sensitive sexual and reproductive health and rights topics, and a persistent fear of being ridiculed and excluded from their community. By exploring how affect can be understood to initiate critical reflection about classroom norms, pedagogy and the role of teachers, the paper highlights the challenges for teachers who are seen as gatekeepers of sexual and reproductive health and rights knowledge, and brings forth a more nuanced reflection on the knowledge production process in classrooms.
Background: Culturally sensitive care is essential for improving healthcare for ethnic minorities... more Background: Culturally sensitive care is essential for improving healthcare for ethnic minorities with intellectual disabilities (ID), who require intensive, sometimes lifelong, care and support. Aims: The present study aimed to uncover factors that may complicate the delivery of culturally sensitive care for ethnic minorities with ID, which have not previously been studied for this group. Methods and procedures: By means of in-depth interviews with care professionals we identified these factors at the care receiver, professional, and institutional levels. Outcomes and results: Eight factors were found to complicate the delivery of culturally sensitive care: abilities of the individuals with ID, communication with the family of the care receiver, cultural competency of the professional, personal attitude and experience of the professional, job position and responsibilities of the professional, resources, legislation and protocols, and the team of colleagues. The factors at the care receiver level were specific for the delivery of culturally sensitive care to individuals with ID. Conclusions and implications: In addition to the complicating factors previously identified for other forms of culturally sensitive healthcare, we identified novel complicating factors for the care of individuals with ID. Future research should investigate how these complicating factors could be overcome.
Youth empowerment is the main goal of sex education according to Dutch Government and NGO policie... more Youth empowerment is the main goal of sex education according to Dutch Government and NGO policies. Academics from different disciplines have argued, however, that the ideal of empowerment through education is problematic, because of the unequal power relations implicated in educational practices. Building on one-anda-half years of online and offline ethnographic fieldwork among Dutch youth, this article argues that Dutch sex educational policies inhibit rather than encourage young people's empowerment by allowing only a limited number of sexual knowledge building practices to thrive while making others nearly impossible. In order to facilitate young people's empowerment, policies should aim to create space for young people to develop their own themes and priorities, to offer a multitude of perspectives, to set the pace and to use different strategies for sexual knowledge building, including learning by doing and online learning. This requires a cultural shift that involves both an openness to young people's experimentation, and a change in existing power hierarchies based on age. ... the Dutch approach to the subject [of teenage sexuality] has been to encourage self-reliance, respect for self and respect for others. The approach has been positive, emphasising sex as part of everyday life and something to be celebrated. This positive, empowering approach is remarkable in comparison to other countries, including European countries such as the UK, where debates about sex education are sometimes
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