Narayan Gopalkrishnan

TIES THAT BIND: MARRIAGE AND PARTNER CHOICE IN THE INDIAN COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA IN A TRANSNATIONAL CONTEXT

Transnational migration explores the realities of individuals, families, and groups whose lives are rooted in more than one nation-state. Peoples lives within this context are characterised by simultaneous connections and identities as they negotiate multiple host societies and transnational relationships. This article explores issues of partner choice and marriage among the members of the Indian community in Australia. Based on interviews with young people, parents, elders, and community leaders, we demonstrate that partner choice and marriage are complex, contradictory, and selective processes, influenced by transnational relationships. We explore how the context of the Indian diaspora alters the lived realities of individuals and communities and results in hybrid practices of marriage and partner choice. We delve into attitudes about marriage and the processes for partner choice including arranged marriages, love marriages, and assisted marriages. We argue that the construction of self in the context of migration is central to negotiations about partner choice. We explore key factors that influence marriages and partner choice, such as respect for family, reverence for the wisdom of elders, transmission of “Indian values,” family honour and social and community standing, expectations of family in India, and gender roles. We examine the notion of “assisted marriages” as a hybrid form of marriage that is seen as an acceptable solution in the resolution of tensions of difference and continuity in the context of the Indian diaspora.

International student exchange in Australian social work education

ABSTRACT International student exchange is pursued by Australian schools of social work as a strategy to engage with the internationalisation agenda set by government, universities, and the profession. However, little concrete information about the nature and scope of these activities exists. The study reported here aimed to address this gap. Twenty-seven of the 30 Australian universities that offer social work programs participated in an online survey about international student exchange activities. The results indicate that a majority of schools (n = 23) do engage in such activities, with international field placements the most frequent form of exchange. Exchanges are most likely to be facilitated and managed by social work staff. The findings, and their implications for the development of good practice in international student exchange, are discussed. This research provides a “point-in-time” snapshot of international exchange in Australian social work education and a benchmark for future analyses of this expanding practice in the profession.

Intercultural Learning: Critical Preparation for International Student Travel

These intercultural learning modules will develop your understanding of cultural difference, diversity and the critical perspectives that will add a new and important dimension to your international experience. Intercultural learning requires more than developing your understanding of cultural customs or dos and don’ts. These modules will challenge you to think about the deeper issues of culture, race, imperialism, white privilege and cultural diversity that underpin all intercultural interactions. Intercultural learning also requires learning about ourselves. Approach these modules with an open mind and be prepared to critically reflect on your own perspectives, which shape your interpretation of intercultural experiences. Developing this critical perspective will prepare you to remain open to cultural difference, an important skill to establish as you set off on your intercultural experience.

Cultural Diversity and Mental Health: Considerations for Policy and Practice

The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the key considerations that lie at the intersection of cultural diversity and mental health. Mental health providers and professionals across the world have to work with clients that are often from cultures other than their own. The differences in cultures have a range of implications for mental health practice, ranging from the ways that people view health and illness, to treatment seeking patterns, the nature of the therapeutic relationship and issues of racism and discrimination. This paper will excavate some of these considerations with a view to raising possible ways in which mental health systems and professionals can engage across cultures more equitably and sustainably.

Evaluation of a Residential Mental Health Recovery Service in North Queensland

Background Evidence shows that subacute mental health recovery occurs best when a person remains active within the community and fulfils meaningful and satisfying roles of their choosing. Several residential care services that incorporate these values have been established in Australia and overseas. Aims This study describes (a) the development of an evaluation framework for a new subacute residential mental health recovery service in regional Australia and (b) reports on the formative evaluation outcomes. Methods Continuous quality improvement and participatory research approaches informed all stages of the development of the evaluation framework. A program logic was established and subsequently tested for practicability. The resultant logic utilizes the Scottish Recovery Indicator 2 (SRI 2) service development tool, Individual Recovery Plans (IRPs), and the impact assessment of the service on psychiatric inpatient admissions (reported separately). Results Service strengths included a recovery-focused practice that identifies and addresses the basic needs of residents (consumers). The consumers of the service were encouraged to develop their own goals and self-manage their recovery plans. The staff of the service were identified as working effectively in the context of the recovery process; the staff were seen as supported and valued. Areas for improvement included more opportunities for self-management for residents and more feedback from residents and carers.

Beyond cultural competence: working across cultures in a globalized world

Cultures increasingly interact with each other through the process of globalization, and organizations and individuals resort to different models of crosscultural practice to manage their interactions constructively. Of these models, cultural competence is arguably the most widely used model in countries of the “Western” world. It is undoubtedly a very attractive model from an organizational perspective, in that it premises competence as something that can be achieved and measured objectively. However, the conceptual base of the model raises some very critical questions concerning the achievability and desirability of competence, and whether it reflects a colonial approach (with the inherent power relationships), and assumes that cultures are static rather than constantly evolving and modified through interaction.

Ethnic Minority Groups in Healthcare Governance

International agreements such as the Alma Ata Declaration 1978, the Ottawa Charter 1986, and the Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion 2005 have clearly established that everyone across the globe has the right to healthcare that meets their needs. These agreements also frame the focus of healthcare as being beyond clinical and curative healthcare services. The Ottawa Charter of the World Health Organization (WHO, 1986) states that ‘health services need to embrace an expanded mandate which is sensitive and respects cultural needs’. The statement also highlights the need for better connections between the health sector and the social, political, economic, and physical environmental components.

Mental health in the island nations of the Western Pacific: a rapid review of the literature.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify mental-health-relevant literature accessible to policy makers and healthcare workers in the island nations of the Western Pacific. Methods: Material collated to support the inaugural Leadership in Mental Health: Island Nations course held in Cairns in May 2015 was used as the basis of a “rapid review”. Results: The rapid review considered 303 documents identified by a search carried out using James Cook University’s OneSearch, Google Scholar, and the authors’ knowledge. Search terms included mental health and the like, and terms with Pacific and current Pacific island country names. Findings were classified by region/country, year of release/publication, mental health issue addressed, peer-reviewed or grey literature, and type of study. Almost half of the findings had been released in the previous five years. However, only 36% were peer-reviewed publications and only 3.6% of the findings were intervention studies. Conclusions: There is limited easily accessible documentation to confidently direct practice or policies regarding which strategies are likely to be effective in responding to the high rates of mental ill-health experienced in the Pacific island nations, or to plan for increases as a consequence of rapid social and demographic changes that are transforming Pacific island societies.

Cultural diversity and mental health

Objective: Cultural diversity and its impact on mental health has become an increasingly important issue in a globalised world where the interactions between cultures continue to grow exponentially. This paper presents critical areas in which culture impacts on mental health, such as how health and illness are perceived, coping styles, treatment-seeking patterns, impacts of history, racism, bias and stereotyping, gender, family, stigma and discrimination. Conclusions: While cultural differences provide a number of challenges to mental health policy and practice they also provide a number of opportunities to work in unique and effective ways towards positive mental health. Ethno-specific approaches to mental health that incorporate traditional and community-based systems can provide new avenues for working with culturally diverse populations.