A young child from Mexico is hospitalized for a serious illness. ...

[ap345]

A young child from Mexico is hospitalized for a serious illness. The father tells the nurse that the child is being punished by God for being bad. The nurse should recognize this as:
 
  a. A health belief common in this culture.
  b. An early indication of potential child abuse.
  c. A misunderstanding of the family's common beliefs.
  d. A belief common when fortune tellers have been used.

Question 2

Children are taught the values of their culture through observation and feedback relative to their own behavior. In teaching a class on cultural competence, the nurse should be aware that which factor(s) may be culturally determined
 
  (Select all that apply)?
  a. Degree of competition
  b. Racial variation
  c. Determination of status
  d. Social roles
  e. Geographic boundaries

[Kaytorgator]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
A common health belief in the Mexican-American cultural group is that health is controlled by the environment, fate, and the will of God. This comment has no relation to child abuse. The father would not misunderstand the family's beliefs. This is a cultural belief. Mexicans may use the services of curanderos (healers), not fortune tellers.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A, C, D
Each of these factors is determined by the assumptions, beliefs, and practices of the members of the culture. In cultures that value individual resourcefulness, competition would be acceptable. Status is culturally determined and varies according to each culture. Some ascribe higher status to age or socioeconomic status. Social roles also are influenced by the culture. Race and culture are two distinct attributes. The racial grouping describes transmissible traits, whereas the culture is determined by the pattern of assumptions, beliefs, and practices that unconsciously frames or guides the outlook and decisions of a group of people. Cultural development may be limited by geographic boundaries. It is not the boundaries that are culturally determined.