Navigating Asthma—The Immigrant Child in a Tug-of-War: A Constructivist Grounded Theory
Loading...
Date
2022
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
The Author
Abstract
Indians constitute the second-largest immigrant group in New Zealand. Asthma symptoms are often underestimated among Indian immigrants in New Zealand and other Western countries, resulting in increased morbidity and avoidable hospitalisations. Indian immigrant children's asthma has received little attention in the literature. Furthermore, research rarely includes children's voices, despite Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees their freedom of expression. The current study addresses these gaps by exploring the asthma experiences of Indian immigrant children and their family caregivers.
The researcher adopted a constructivist grounded theory design, with social constructionism as its theoretical framework. Children (8–17 years of age) and their family carers were recruited through general practices, schools, and various Indian cultural associations in the Greater Wellington region. Intensive, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in a setting of their choice. The interviewing of children under 14 years of age was facilitated by drawing and photography. Concurrent data collection and analysis took place, accompanied by memoing.
“Navigating asthma—The immigrant child in a tug-of-war” was the resultant grounded theory, in which the tug-of-war was the basic social process. Two types of tug-of-war were observed: one between the Indian and New Zealand cultures, and another between children’s and their family carers’ preferences. The three major categories in this theory, which corresponded to the three phases of the child's asthma journey, included being fearful, seeking support, and clashing cultures. These phases followed a cyclic pattern. During their asthma battle, participants often reflected on their own experiences and modified their plans as they learnt more from their own lives and social networks. This helped them cope with varying levels of fear in different situations.
The theory explains the complex interaction of multiple influences, such as sociocultural factors and acculturation, which may determine the participants’ shared values, beliefs, and priorities. Importantly, the study reveals numerous tensions regarding
children's participation in their asthma-care decision-making. The study results add to scholarly knowledge by providing a comprehensive picture of Indian immigrant children's asthma and highlighting the barriers and facilitators for providing culturally safe healthcare to this group.