<i>Problemas de Nervos</i>: A Multivocal Symbol of Distress for Portuguese Immigrants

James, Susan; Fernandes, Mark; Navara, Geoffrey S.; Harris, Sara; Foster, Durwin

doi:10.1177/1363461509105819

Cited by 11 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The purpose of this research was to examine and discover what relationships exist among acculturation and family in the Portuguese immigrant population in Canada as these topics were the most prevalent in our previous research with Portuguese immigrants (James, 2002). We discovered that in response to background questions asked of interviewees for other research (James, Navara, Foster, Fernandes, & Harris, 2009), rich depictions of family processes within acculturation were present and were left unanalyzed. See Appendix A for the list of background interview questions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portuguese Immigrant Families: The Impact of Acculturation

Morrison

James

2009

Family Process

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Portuguese immigrants to North America represent a large ethnic group with unique family therapy needs. The present study investigates acculturation and the family lives of Portuguese (Azorean) immigrants in Canada. Methods of analytic induction and constant comparison from grounded theory were used to examine transcripts of interviews with 21 Azorean immigrant women and 28 Azorean immigrant men. A model emerged wherein (a) immigration and acculturation act as stressors on the family unit, as described by the categories Process of Change and Family Relationships; (b) family members adopt generation- and gender-specific acculturative strategies, as illustrated by the categories Duas Culturas (Two Cultures) and Falando Portuges (Speaking Portuguese); and (c) as family members acculturate, discords arise and are resolved according to the cultural traits different members have adopted. The categories Discord Resolution and Preocupação (Preoccupations) illustrate this last dynamic. Implications for family therapy with immigrant families include an indication for community-level interventions, emphasis on confidentiality, awareness of acculturation stress and different acculturative strategies within the family, and aiding the family in the negotiation and integration of a new bicultural reality.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portuguese Immigrant Families: The Impact of Acculturation

Morrison

James

2009

Family Process

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“…The worldwide phenomenon of immigration, mixing cultures, and acculturation brings with it various challenges to physical and mental health, including issues related to sleep (Holroyd, Molassiotis, Taylor-Pilliae, 2001; James, Fernandes, Nevara, Harris, & Foster, 2009; Maty, Leung, Lau, & Kim, 2010). Latinos comprise the largest minority group in United States (US) (US Census, 2010b), and numbers are predicted to nearly triple by 2050 (US Census, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with sleep disturbance in women of Mexican descent

Heilemann

Choudhury

Kury

et al. 2012

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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Aims The aims were to identify the most useful parameters of acculturation in relation to self reported sleep disturbance and describe risk factors for sleep disturbance in women of Mexican descent. Background Little is known about acculturation as a factor for poor sleep in the context of other personal factors such as income or sense of resilience or mastery for Latinas in the United States. Methods These personal factors were incorporated into a modification of the Conceptual Framework of Impaired Sleep to guide our secondary analysis of self-reported sleep disturbance. Cross sectional data from a convenience sample of 312 women of Mexican descent of childbearing age (21-40 years) located in an urban California community were collected and previously analyzed in relation to depressive symptoms and post traumatic stress disorder. The General Sleep Disturbance Scale (in English and Spanish) was used to assess sleep disturbance. Results Early socialization to the United States during childhood was the most useful acculturation parameter for understanding self reported sleep disturbance in this sample. In a multivariate regression analysis, three factors (higher acculturation, lower income, and higher depressive symptoms) were significant in accounting for 40% of the variance in sleep disturbance. Conclusion When low income Latinas of Mexican descent report sleep problems, clinicians should probe for environmental sleep factors associated with low income, such as noise, over-crowding, and exposure to trauma and violence, and refer the woman to psychotherapy and counselling rather than merely prescribe a sleep medication.

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“…Our work with Portuguese immigrants in North America revealed that traditional psychiatric categories are limited when trying to classify Portuguese idioms of distress (James et al, 2009) such as agonias (James and Clarke, 2001; James, 2002; James and Prilleltensky, 2002; James et al, 2006). Our research into agonias included Portuguese men and women who came from the Azorean Islands and who are now living in the United States (James, 2002) and Canada (James et al, 2005).…”

Section: Study 1: the Individual Domainmentioning

confidence: 98%

Revisioning Clinical Psychology: Integrating Cultural Psychology into Clinical Research and Practice with Portuguese Immigrants

James¹,

Harris²,

Foster³

et al. 2013

Front. Psychol.

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This article outlines a model for conducting psychotherapy with people of diverse cultural backgrounds. The theoretical foundation for the model is based on clinical and cultural psychology. Cultural psychology integrates psychology and anthropology in order to provide a complex understanding of both culture and the individual within his or her cultural context. The model proposed in this article is also based on our clinical experience and mixed-method research with the Portuguese community. The model demonstrates its value with ethnic minority clients by situating the clients within the context of their multi-layered social reality. The individual, familial, socio-cultural, and religio-moral domains are explored in two research projects, revealing the interrelation of these levels/contexts. The article is structured according to these domains. Study 1 is a quantitative study that validates the Agonias Questionnaire in Ontario. The results of this study are used to illustrate the individual domain of our proposed model. Study 2 is an ethnography conducted in the Azorean Islands, and the results of this study are integrated to illustrate the other three levels of the model, namely family, socio-cultural, and the religio-moral levels.

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Problemas de Nervos: A Multivocal Symbol of Distress for Portuguese Immigrants

Cited by 11 publications

References 23 publications

Portuguese Immigrant Families: The Impact of Acculturation

Portuguese Immigrant Families: The Impact of Acculturation

Factors associated with sleep disturbance in women of Mexican descent

Revisioning Clinical Psychology: Integrating Cultural Psychology into Clinical Research and Practice with Portuguese Immigrants

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