School of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Health, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.
School for Social Work, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA.
Cult Med Psychiatry. 2020 Jun;44(2):214-229. doi: 10.1007/s11013-019-09650-9.
To explore the role of culture in communicating with cancer patients about mental health distress and suicidality. The Grounded Theory method of data collection and analysis was used. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) reported that language competency was a facilitator while being unable to speak the language or understand the nuances of their patient's communication could be a barrier. HCPs noted that being culturally matched with their patients helped them communicate effectively. HCPs also spoke about religious taboos on suicide as being a barrier to having conversations, either because patients did not feel comfortable discussing these issues, or because they perceived that this was not a topic they could bring up. Some HCPs reported that the culture/ethnicity of their patients had no effect on their ability to communicate effectively with them about mental health distress or suicidality. Advancing effective cross-cultural communication is a challenge faced by HCPs. Raising awareness about communication styles is an important step in addressing communication gaps about mental health and suicide with cancer patients. Training should facilitate skill development to engage in a culturally humble approach to cross-cultural communication including diversity training which encourages asking and actively listening to patients' needs and preferences.
探讨文化在与癌症患者沟通心理健康困扰和自杀问题中的作用。本研究采用扎根理论方法进行数据收集和分析。医疗保健专业人员（HCPs）报告说，语言能力是一个促进因素，而不会说患者的语言或理解他们沟通的细微差别可能是一个障碍。HCPs 指出，与患者文化匹配有助于他们进行有效沟通。HCPs 还谈到了自杀的宗教禁忌，认为这是进行对话的障碍，因为患者不舒服讨论这些问题，或者他们认为这不是他们可以提出的话题。一些 HCPs 报告说，患者的文化/种族对他们与患者有效沟通心理健康困扰或自杀问题没有影响。提高跨文化交流的有效性是 HCPs 面临的挑战。提高对沟通方式的认识是解决与癌症患者沟通心理健康和自杀问题方面沟通差距的重要步骤。培训应促进技能发展，以参与到跨文化交流中，包括鼓励询问和积极倾听患者的需求和偏好的多样性培训。
