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African American Population And Its Unique Array Of Cultural Backgrounds

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The main reason for choosing the African American population for this work is because of its unique array of cultural backgrounds. African American communities across the United States are more culturally diverse now than any other time in history with increasing numbers of immigrants from African nations, the Caribbean, Central America and other countries (American Psychiatric Association, 2014). The United States is among the most ethnically diverse nations on the planet (Peterson, K., 2008). With the demographics of the United States constantly changing and as ethnic cultural diversity emerges heightening of culturally competent care is at hand. All cultures have systems of health belief to explain what cause illness, how it can be …show more content…

The purpose of this paper is to explain the need to enhance culturally competent care given by nurse practitioners in a primary care setting and importance of understanding cultural beliefs within the African American community. This paper will examine the application of Kurt Lewin’s change theory to fine-tuning culturally competent care by nurse practitioners in managing mental illness in the African American community. It will explain how the change model has been used in nursing and then, how it can be used in embracing cultural beliefs to enhance education and communication to deliver quality care for mental illnesses. Depression has affected millions of Americans despite race, ethnic background and culture. It is one of the top reasons for suicide in the U.S. Most often it can be misdiagnosed or not properly treated among African Americans. Consequently, many African Americans will not seek care as; admitting to depression is considered a sign of weakness. The African American population is a diverse group of people who have strong beliefs in family, church and community. Their view of good health is considered a blessing; on the other hand, those who suffer from poor health will often wonder if it’s because of how they lived their lives. In addition the older generation is more spiritually grounded and will feel blessed in spite of poor health. On the other hand, older generations presumed some mental illnesses were often

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