Cultural Competence of Mental Health Nurses in Israel.

Israel's diverse culture presents challenges to the nation's health care system; lack of culturally appropriate care adversely affects overall quality of care. Therefore, cultural competence needs strengthening, especially among mental health nurses, for whom communication is the essence of treatment. The current study aimed to examine and evaluate the degree of cultural competence of mental health nurses in Israel. We sought to determine whether demographic variables, such as age, sex, and other characteristics, have effects on cultural competence. This study used a structured self-report questionnaire to survey 107 Israeli mental health nurses about their perceptions of their own cultural competence. Most participants attributed great importance to sociocultural aspects of patient care (mean score = 4, SD = 0.628) and were knowledgeable, but a majority (mean score = 3, SD = 0.83) reported difficulties implementing their knowledge during treatment. Cultural knowledge and awareness correlated with personal characteristics, such as sex and country of origin. There were gaps between cultural knowledge and the ability to apply existing knowledge in practice. A need exists not only for ongoing training in and maintenance of cultural knowledge, but also for tools to implement culturally appropriate care. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60(11), 33-39.].

Internalization of stigma and self-esteem as it affects the capacity for intimacy among patients with schizophrenia.

The study examines the relationship between internalization of stigma, self-esteem, and the ability of people diagnosed with schizophrenia to form intimate attachments with loved ones. The study included sixty patients with schizophrenia, ages 18-60, men and women. After providing informed consent, all participants completed four questionnaires: Demographics Questionnaire, Self-Esteem Scale, Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale and the Intimacy Attitude Scale-Revised. Internalization of social stigma was found to be a statistically significant core factor that affects self-esteem and the ability to create intimacy among patients with schizophrenia. There was statistically significantly less internalization of stigma of mental illness among hospitalized patients than among individuals with schizophrenia who live in the community.