Transcultural Perspectives in Mental 
    Transcultural Perspectives in Mental 
    Health Nursing #1
    Health Nursing #1
   
      Transcultural nursing:
     o Examines mental illnesses within a transcultural 
        perspective 
     o Assists in understanding how culture influences the 
        ways in which we interpret and behave with mental 
        illnesses
                        Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
    Transcultural Perspectives in Mental 
    Transcultural Perspectives in Mental 
    Health Nursing #2
    Health Nursing #2
   
      Mental disorders are defined according to “cultural, 
   social, and familial norms and values” (DSM-V, 2013, p. 14). 
   
      Culture provides the framework that is used to interpret 
   “the experience and expression of the symptoms, signs, 
   and behaviors that are criteria for diagnosis” (p. 14)
   
      Cultural norms shape what is considered normal versus 
   abnormal. 
                        Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
    Defining Mental Health Within a 
    Defining Mental Health Within a 
    Transcultural Nursing Perspective #1
    Transcultural Nursing Perspective #1
    
       According to the World Health Organization (2013): 
        o
          “… there is no health without mental health.”
    
       “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social 
    well-being and not merely the absence of disease or 
    infirmity.” 
    
       Determinants of mental health at any given point in 
    time: “social, psychological and biological factors.”
                          Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
    Defining Mental Health Within a 
    Defining Mental Health Within a 
    Transcultural Nursing Perspective #2
    Transcultural Nursing Perspective #2
    
       Transcultural nurses should: 
       o Understand patterns of values, beliefs, and practices 
           for mental health care
       o Avoid stereotypes and ethnocentrism
       o Be aware of “norms”
                        Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
    Question #1
    Question #1
    
       Is the following statement true or false?
    
       Ethnocentrism can manifest as feelings of superiority or 
    discrimination with respect to one’s own group or culture 
    over another group or culture.
                        Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved