College of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Oct 4;24(1):1186. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11543-6.
Among the many pressing concerns of the Somali-American community, and other similar immigrant and refugee communities as they grow in the United States, is the provision of care for older adults and adults with disabilities. The implications of effective caregiving range from the facilitation of community building and place-making to the delivery and management of healthcare on a systemic level. However, little is currently known about Somali-American family caregivers, including their duties and responsibilities, primary concerns, and the impacts of surrounding influences on their ability to fulfill their role.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Somali-American family caregivers in Somali language. The resulting transcripts were translated into English by a professional interpreter and analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. A key informant from the community was additionally consulted for insights regarding cultural nuances and interpretations of idiomatic expressions and concepts.
Thematic analysis of the reports revealed the principal themes of visitation, patient accompaniment, and self-sacrifice through acceptance and God-consciousness as pervasive and salient concerns across participants. Furthermore, the heightened stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how severe the consequences can be when access to culturally habituated navigational tools and coping mechanisms are restricted.
In light of our findings, the growing concern for discrimination and sociocultural discord in the Somali-American community presents a particularly prescient threat to the well-being and sustainability of family caregivers. Their experiences must be understood and used to promote education and partnership between the healthcare system and the community in order to build trust and ensure a healthy future for this indispensable population.
在索马里裔美国人和其他类似移民和难民社区日益壮大的过程中，他们最关心的问题之一是为老年人和残疾成年人提供护理。有效的护理的影响范围从促进社区建设和场所营造到系统层面的医疗保健的提供和管理。然而，目前对索马里裔美国家庭护理人员知之甚少，包括他们的职责、主要关注点以及周围环境对他们履行职责能力的影响。
对 10 名索马里裔美国家庭护理人员进行了半结构式访谈，以索马里语进行。专业口译员将产生的转录本翻译成英语，并使用归纳主题分析方法进行分析。此外，还咨询了社区中的一位主要知情人，以了解文化细微差别以及对惯用表达和概念的解释。
对报告的主题分析揭示了普遍存在的主要主题，即探访、陪同患者以及通过接受和上帝意识进行自我牺牲。此外，COVID-19 大流行的加剧压力表明，当限制获得文化习惯的导航工具和应对机制时，后果可能会非常严重。
鉴于我们的发现，索马里裔美国社区中日益严重的歧视和社会文化不和谐问题对家庭护理人员的福祉和可持续性构成了特别明显的威胁。必须了解和利用他们的经验，以促进医疗保健系统和社区之间的教育和伙伴关系，建立信任，并确保这个不可或缺的人群拥有健康的未来。
