title: Cultural intersections in the care of Mexican American children with chronic conditions.
abstract: Cultural intersections occur whenever people from different cultures meet. Intracultural intersections may also occur between people with a similar heritage but different life experiences. Cultural intersections can present challenges in communication and understanding between people with differing values and priorities. At the same time, they offer opportunities for growth, illuminate universal suffering, and foster compassion. This article describes cultural intersections experienced by Mexican American parents of children with chronic conditions. These intersections affect relationships between parents and among parents, nurses, and other health care providers, sometimes providing unexpected insights for parents about their own lives and experiences. Nurses who are aware of cultural intersections in their practices can enhance their appreciation for the diversity existing within and between cultural groups, while focusing on the universal goal of providing excellent care for children with chronic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Health Care Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Roberta S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rehm
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States