Strangers in Their Own World: Exploring the Relation Between Cultural Practices and the Health of Older Adults in Native Communities in Chile

In recent years, social gerontology has emphasised the concept of cultural diversity with the purpose of understanding how there is a differentiated ageing process in the life pathways of ethnic minorities. This study analyses the implications of Indigenous cultural practices for the health of a cro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The British journal of social work 2019-06, Vol.49 (4), p.920-942
Main Authors: Gallardo-Peralta, Lorena P, Sánchez-Moreno, Esteban, Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Vicente
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Consumption
Cultural transmission
Drugs
Ethnic groups
Ethnicity
Gerontology
Health behavior
Health problems
Health services
Health status
Indigenous culture
Indigenous peoples
Intergenerational relationships
Intergenerational transmission
Medicine
Mental depression
Mental health
Minority groups
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Older people
Professional practice
Regression analysis
Resilience
Social work
Strangers
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Summary:In recent years, social gerontology has emphasised the concept of cultural diversity with the purpose of understanding how there is a differentiated ageing process in the life pathways of ethnic minorities. This study analyses the implications of Indigenous cultural practices for the health of a cross-sectional sample of 569 Indigenous Chileans (Aymara = 201 and Mapuche = 368) aged sixty and over. Measures were applied for depression, health problems, consumption of medication, cultural practices and resilience. The data analysis consisted of a linear and logistic regression analysis for scores on health-related measures. The results show significant differences amongst the Indigenous groups. Mapuche participants have more depressive symptomatology, more health problems and lower consumption of medication. There are differences in the explanatory variables for mental and physical health, but the results generally confirm that maintaining Indigenous medical practices, being resilient and engaging in intergenerational transmission of Indigenous culture are related with better health. These results suggest the need to incorporate an Indigenist and/or multicultural perspective into anti-oppressive social work practice by designing interventions and policies that help to maintain and perpetuate Indigenous health practices in community spaces.
ISSN:0045-3102
1468-263X
DOI:10.1093/bjsw/bcz045