Stereotypes vs Disparities
I think especially for men and especially for boys, it is really, really hard to talk about not being okay… I mean, their generation, a lot of them are struggling and they don’t know how to talk about it. So I feel like if we make it less taboo, maybe that’s not so much a cultural thing. But for me, I think that it’s normal to talk about depression and anxiety. I think that we have to start normalizing it because they experience stuff that – Samoan woman, Age 41, Oregon
What stereotype or disparity is being challenged ?
What is the "strong warrior/carefree" stereotype
“He never told me his feelings. I think it was how he was brought up. A lot of Islanders are like that — they don’t want to be seen as a weak person, or soft. — Age 35, O'ahu
What type of symptoms is this individual most likely to report (physical/mental)? What is this phenomenon called?
Physical, Somatization
I would have to go with my grandpa because he didn’t speak any English. So I had to be the interpreter between him and his PCP… We have some Chuukese interpreters who are not fully interpreting everything in our language. They’re mixing in English terms. And for people or the generation of my grandparents, sometimes that’s still confusing even if you’re speaking Chuukese with them … How do you explain an application to them because there’s no word for application in our language. – Micronesian man, Age 29, Oʻahu
What barrier is the grandpa facing?
Language Barrier
I feel like because I’m a bigger person, I get overlooked so much because I’m on the bigger side of the spectrum andnobody in where I go to the hospital is a person of color. So I feel like that’s a big thing too. And we kind of just get pushed to the side in the medical field. That’s how I feel in some of the instances where I just have to be really firm on what I want but not do it in a way where I don’t seem that I’m being aggressive too. – Samoan woman, Age 36, California
What disparity or stereotype is being revealed in this testimony?
The patient is being stereotyped for being a bigger person as a pacific islander
My husband, he works a very strenuous job and he’s always in pain, mostly sore muscles and whatnot, because he does repetitive movement every day. And so he would do stuff at home, for example, stretching, yoga exercises and just basically having our kids step on his back when he’s in pain, just to avoid going to the doctor because he says he can hack it and whatnot. But honestly, howcan we afford it if we have to literally meet the deductible before actually our benefits are applied? –Chamorro woman, Age 37, Washington
What are 3 culturally sensitive CAM therapies worth discussing with this patient?
"… shared stories of being flown to Oʻahu or the continental U.S. to receive specialized oremergency treatment such as chemotherapy or surgery."
Why do people have to travel to the U.S or O'ahu to get care?
So when I had my third child, I had gestational diabetes. But why is it like that now? That’s the question I asked my doctor, “Why, when the rest of my two was perfectly fine?” She didn’t have an answer, but that’s what made me stop going to the doctors just recently was because everything I’ve told her, she kind of rebelled against it and was like, “No.” – Samoan woman, Age 24, Oʻahu
Is a stereotype or disparity being represented?
The PCP is not recognizing the concerns of the patient and is displaying a disparity of inadequate care for the patient
They just assume when you have darker skin like, “Oh, you’re just going to be trouble. You’re just going to like this, that, or the others.” Yeah, I felt it in that and other pieces as well. – Native Hawaiian man, Age 52, Hawaiʻi
What disorder is this individual most at risk of developing?
SUD
Well, we had Med-QUEST [Medicaid] and then Med-QUEST canceled us because they said our income was too high. My husband is on home dialysis … Every month we had to pay [$930] just to keep him alive. Then Med-QUEST went back into effect because I had the emergency proclamation for the wildfire, and then we got all those bills caught up. – Native Hawaiian woman ,Age 54, Hawaiʻi
What is preventing this family's access to CAM therapies?
CAM is not covered by insurance/too expensive out of pocket