Dangor Tasneem, Ross Eleanor
Speech Pathology and Audiology, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
S Afr J Commun Disord. 2006;53:27-38.
The aim of the study was to investigate the beliefs and practices of caregivers and traditional healers within the South African Muslim community regarding Down syndrome. An exploratory-descriptive research design was utilized which incorporated individual interviews with 10 caregivers of persons with Down syndrome as well as 10 traditional healers from the South African Muslim community. Common beliefs emanating from both groups relating to the cause of Down syndrome included the notion that this condition was genetic in origin and that such children were perceived to be gifts from God. Others attributed Down syndrome to a punishment from God or the result of curses from people. Treatment included the use of inscriptions from the Quraan, water that had been prayed over and herbal medicines. Some caregivers seemed reluctant to approach western health care professionals due to negative past experiences. The main reasons for consulting traditional healers were cultural beliefs and pressure from family members, their holistic approach and the personal nature of their interventions. Collaboration between allopathic medicine and traditional healing was advocated by almost all of the traditional healers. These findings underline the need for culturally sensitive rehabilitation practices in speech-language pathology and audiology; and collaboration between western health care practitioners and traditional healers.
该研究的目的是调查南非穆斯林社区中照顾者和传统治疗师对唐氏综合征的看法及做法。采用了探索性描述性研究设计，对10名唐氏综合征患者的照顾者以及南非穆斯林社区的10名传统治疗师进行了个人访谈。两组关于唐氏综合征病因的共同看法包括：这种情况源于遗传，这些孩子被视为上帝的礼物。其他人则将唐氏综合征归因于上帝的惩罚或他人诅咒的结果。治疗方法包括使用《古兰经》经文、祈祷过的水和草药。由于过去的负面经历，一些照顾者似乎不愿寻求西方医疗专业人员的帮助。咨询传统治疗师的主要原因是文化信仰、家庭成员的压力、他们的整体方法以及干预的个性化性质。几乎所有传统治疗师都主张西医与传统治疗相结合。这些发现强调了在言语病理学和听力学中开展具有文化敏感性的康复实践的必要性；以及西方医疗从业者与传统治疗师之间的合作。
