Cultural traditions in indigenous peoples about maternity, childbirth and puerperium are fundamental bases to their history and knowledge for the well-being of the community. However, government and private health services in general only offer Western birthing practices, making pregnant indigenous women fall between two systems: one based on their traditions and beliefs but weakened by poor resourcing and inefficiencies, and the other by policies of acculturation. With the objective of studying the perspective and voice of indigenous women on maternal healthcare in Veracruz, Mexico, this research was carried out between December 2022 and February 2023 in a health organization which is implementing an intercultural maternal care system. The study subjects were made up of pregnant indigenous women and health providers who shared their perspective and experience on the topic through a process of individual interviews and surveys. As a result, this research opens space for Non-Western standpoints: indigenous voices, focused on the well-being and dialogue to draw on the strengths of different cultures.

Bakgrund: Kvinnlig könsstympning (female genital mutilation [FGM]) berör ca 100 till 140 miljoner kvinnor i världen. Varje år är det ca 3 miljoner flickor mellan åldrarna 0 till 15 år som riskerar att bli könsstympade.  Könsstympning förekommer i 26 länder belägna i Afrika, Mellanöstern & Asien. Att könsstympa kvinnor är en sed som är djupt inrotad i den spirituella och kulturella synen.  Enligt Svensk lag är all form av könsstympning olagligt och får ej utföras. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva kvinnors upplevelse och erfarenheter av att leva med könsstympning samt deras möte med västerländsk sjukvård. Syftet var även att beskriva studiernas undersökningsgrupp i de inkluderade artiklarna. Metod: För att svara på föreliggande studies syfte har författarna gjort en beskrivande litteraturstudie. Litteraturstudien har 11 stycken artiklar som är av kvalitativ ansats, 1st som är av kvantitativ ansats och 3st som är av både kvalitativ och kvantitativ ansats, dessa analyserades objektivt. Databaserna Pubmed och CINAHL användes. Resultat: Kvinnorna i studien förklarar att det är tradition, kultur och en heder gentemot familjen att könsstympas. Känslor som rädsla, oro och skam är upplevelser kvinnorna förklarar vid mötet med västerländsk sjukvård, det kan vara i form av kommunikationsbrist och dåligt bemötande. Kvinnorna anser att det finns för lite kunskap om könsstympning inom västerländsk sjukvård och att detta behöver bli bättre. Positiva erfarenheter som kvinnorna tar upp är att de blev bemötta med respekt och god omvårdnad. Slutsats: Kvinnorna som genomgått könsstympning har både positiva och negativa erfarenheter av att vara könsstympad. Vid mötet med västerländsk sjukvård visar studier att rädsla och oro kan uppstå hos kvinnor som genomgått könsstympning. De positiva erfarenheter kvinnorna hade i mötet med sjukvården var att de kände sig bemötta med respekt av sjukvårdspersonalen som hade goda kunskaper om könsstympning. Genom ökad kunskap hos sjukvårdspersonal kommer kvinnornas oro och rädsla succesivt minska i de länder där könsstympning ej förekommer. / Background: FGM (female genital mutilation [FGM]) affects approximately 100 million to 140 million women worldwide. Each year there are about 3 million girls between the ages of 0-15 years who risk being genitally mutilated. Genital mutilation is present in 26 countries located in Africa, the Middle East & Asia. To circumcise women is a practice that is deeply rooted in the spiritual and cultural vision. According to Swedish law, all forms of genital mutilation are illegal and may not be performed. Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe women’s experience and the experience of living with genital mutilation and their encounter with western health care. The purpose was also to describe the studies finding mission in the included articles. Method: In order to answer to the present studies aim, the authors conducted a descriptive literature study. The literature have 11 articles that are of qualitative approach, 1 has the quantitative approach and 3 have both qualitative and quantitative approach, and they were analysed objectively. PubMed and CINAHL were used in this study. Results: The women in the study, explains that it's tradition, culture and an honour to the family being mutilated. Emotions such as fear, anxiety and shame are the experiences the women explained when meeting with western health care, and these feelings are related to the lack of communication and treatment. The women believe that there is too little knowledge about genital mutilation in the western health care and that needs to be better. Positive experience was also where the women are talking about that they were treated with respect and a good nursing care. Conclusion: The women who have undergone genital mutilation has both positive and negative experiences of being circumcised. Studies show that women who undergone female genital mutilation experience fear and anxiety while coming in contact with western health care. The positive experiences women had in the meeting with the western health care was that they felt treated with respect by medical staff who had good knowledge about female genital mutilation. Through increased knowledge among medical staff will the womens worry and fear gradually decrease in the countries where female genital mutilation not occur.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023 / With the realisation that both the traditional and western health care systems are consulted in South Africa, the Traditional Health Practitioners Act, No 22 of 2007 was promulgated. In addition to the Act, there was a growing body of literature proposing the integration of the two health systems to improve the overall South African health system. This study explored the possibility for such collaboration by investigating case formulation by western-trained clinical psychologists and traditional health practitioners regarding selected cases of mental disorders. A qualitative research design, specifically a case study method was used in the present study. Six clinical psychologists and six traditional health practitioners were selected through purposive sampling and were requested to participate in the study. The researcher further sampled two vignettes of Major Depressive Disorder and Schizophrenia for data collection purposes. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and vignettes and analysed through Braun and Clarke‟s thematic content analysis steps. Six main themes that related to case formulations by clinical psychologists emerged. These themes were: a). Collateral information as a major determinant in the assessment and treatment of mental illness; b). Classifications of mental illness; c). The symptomatology of mental illness; d). Causes of mental illness; e). The multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of mental illness; and f). Views regarding the collaboration of Clinicians and Traditional Health Practitioners. On the other hand, eight themes that related to the case formulations by traditional health practitioners were identified. These themes were: a) Divination as the main process of enquiry, b) Descriptive names of mental illnesses, c) Conceptualisations of stress related and depressive disorders by Traditional Health Practitioners, d) Views on causes of mental illness, e) The effectiveness of the Western approach in the treatment of some forms of mental illness, f) The relationship between religion and African traditional practices; g) A calling as symbolised by symptoms of mental illness, and, h) Traditional health practitioners‟ views on the collaboration between themselves and western health practitioners. The study has further revealed that there are some similarities as well as differences in the way clinical psychologists and traditional health practitioners formulate cases. The convergences in their formulations were revealed in the following themes; a). The conceptualisation of stress and related conditions; b). The western system is the most appropriate in the management of stress-related and depressive disorders and c). The benefits of the collaboration between western and African healing systems. The following divergences were further identified from the way clinical psychologists and traditional health practitioners formulate their cases: a). The conceptualisation of the presenting symptoms from the two cases; b). The causal factors of mental health conditions; c). The initial methods of enquiry; and d). The management of mental health conditions. The study has further revealed that both traditional health practitioners and clinical psychologists have positive views regarding the collaboration of western and African traditional health systems, especially in the management of mental disorders. The study has further uncovered the convergences and divergences in the conceptualisation of mental health conditions between traditional health practitioners and clinical psychologists.