Culture, ethnicity, and the family: critical factors in childhood chronic illnesses and disabilities

Different cultural factors may affect families of children with a chronic disease or disability. Members of different ethnic and racial minority groups may have their own beliefs, practices and support systems. Cultural values can affect many aspects of family life such as marriage, kinship and household and family structures. Families from diverse cultural backgrounds may adapt differently to the care of a chronically ill or disabled child. Cultural values can also affect other factors within a family such as self or group concept, spiritual values, relationship to nature and the land and time orientation. These factors shape the overall belief system of a family and its perception of illness or disability. An increased emphasis on culture and ethnicity may help in the treatment of chronically ill children from ethnic or racial minorities.