Abstract
Intercultural communication in child and family health
Julian Grant
PhD submitted May 2008,School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Flinders University
When child health professionals communicate with parents who are migrants to South Australia, they do so with genuine intent and a belief that they are behaving in a culturally sensitive manner. While we know that culture and communication are two of the major barriers to care for migrant women and children, we know little about how child health professionals understand their intercultural communication practices and the theories that shape them.
In this ethnographic study I went into two worksites of a state wide child health organisation in South Australia. I watched and spoke with parents and child health professionals about their beliefs and actions. Consultations between child health professionals and parents from a range of cultural backgrounds were videoed. The child health professionals and myself watched their video together and discussed how they communicated, what they communicated and explored why they might have behaved in the ways that they did.
I used a range of theories to help me understand the data. What child health professionals said about their practice did not always match what they saw themselves doing. The tools of communication that they used made sense when there was no ‘difference’ to contend with but when they had to use these tools with parents who were different to themselves they did not always work. There were conflicts between personal and professional beliefs, how to behave as a partner rather than an expert and how to treat everyone the same and still value difference.
