| Learning Objective #1: Describe the importance of spiritualism to health and illness experiences in the culture of Northern Plains Women | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of cultural sensitivity to the provision of health care using the example of the belief systems of Northern Plains women |
Objective: To understand the meaning of health and illness among a group of women belonging to a Northern Plains Native American group, the Blackfeet tribe. Design: Phenomenology guided data collection and analysis to uncover the meaning of health and illness experiences for Blackfeet women. As the goal of phenomenology is to understand human experiences, women’s voices were elicited to evoke the importance of ceremonies, family customs, and traditions associated with health and illness. Population, Sample, Setting, Years: Over the course of one year, network sampling was used to recruit fourteen Blackfeet women living on their reservation in Northwest Montana. Socio-economic status was substantially lower than that of the United States as a whole. Yet, educational attainment was remarkable, with all participants having completed at least a high school education. The women ranged in age from twenty-six to seventy-five years. Methods: Data was collected through audio-taped interviews. Questions were open-ended and probed three main categories of inquiry. These included childhood experiences, the use of traditional and non-traditional remedies, and elements of Blackfeet culture. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed for thematic development. Findings: The category of spiritualism emerged through analysis of the data. Three major themes were identified. First, Christian and traditional Native American spiritual beliefs were consonantly held. Second, health and illness were rarely perceived as those precipitated by health behaviors, but rather are associated with spiritual intervention. Last, traditional treatment and Westernized medicine were not viewed as contradictory, but rather as complimentary. Conclusions: The study reveals pertinent new information regarding how one group of Northern Plains women find meaning in health and illness through spiritualism and traditional belief systems. Implications: Primary care providers need to approach health care with an understanding of traditional belief systems and how these can markedly influence treatment.
Back to Women's Health
Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003