Paper
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Sociocultural Values and Needs Assessment: A Model for Generating an Integrative Understanding of Divorcing Chinese Families
Patricia Sullivan, PhD, RN, Department of Nursing Studies, Department of Nursing Studies, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| Learning Objective #1: Describe a model for sociocultual values and needs assessment |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe ways in which the results of a sociocultural needs assessment can be used to develop culturally relevant interventions for health promotion and health education |
Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the culture-specific values and needs of divorcing Chinese parents and their children. Design: Needs assessment. Method: A model for needs assessment, that incorporated a social and cultural context assessment, guided the study. The social context assessment was conducted by reviewing the social, economic and demographic characteristics of Hong Kong. The cultural context assessment was conducted by (1) reviewing traditional literature describing the fundamental beliefs that influence the behavior of Chinese families; (2) reviewing research conducted on aspects of the Chinese life cycle associated with dating, marriage, childrearing, separation and divorce; and (3) collecting primary data about the current beliefs and behaviors of Chinese families associated with marriage, separation and divorce. The primary data were collected from ten focus groups and thirteen key informant interviews, from multiple stakeholders of divorce, including families of divorce and professionals from a variety of disciplines. Findings: The social characteristics and trends, core cultural values and the current beliefs and practices that shape the way Hong Kong families separate and divorce were identified and from them, the needs of divorcing parents, children, and the community were derived. The most urgent needs were for divorce education for parents, culturally-sensitive instructional programs and materials, and knowledge of community support services by both the divorcing families and the professional who work with them. Conclusions: The socio-cultural assessment contributed to an integrative understanding of the values, behavior and needs of divorcing Chinese families to be used as the starting point in the design of needs-based, culturally sensitive divorce education programs. The use of the model may have potential for increasing our understanding of other cultural groups and facilitating the development of health promotion and health education programs for them that are culturally acceptable, relevant and salient.
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