Cultural alienation: A concept analysis

Aim: To analyze the concept of cultural alienation Background: Culturally diverse populations are increasing nationwide. However, many culturally diverse clients have experienced cultural alienation. Design: Rodgerian's method of concept analysis Data Source: Literature in CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, JSTOR, Scopus, LGBT Life, and Oxford Bibliographic databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were full text, peer-reviewed, English language, and published within 5 years. Review Methods: Articles were read in their entirety and reread to determine more contextual data. Antecedents, attributes, and consequences were extracted. Results: Fifteen studies were included. Antecedents included: identification with racial, ethnic, sexual minority, disability, chronic illness, and threat to way of life. Attributes were traditional, different, negotiator, preserving, and sustaining. Consequences resulted in sociocultural deprivation, resistance, mistrust, distrust, loss of identity, and racism. Conclusions: Nurses, health care providers, and communities can better support and engage their clients by working together to create an inclusive environment, in which exists a safe space to work, play, and heal. Findings highlight the need to examine one's own assumptions, inquire about the client's cultural care needs, tailor communication at the client's level, acknowledge individual strengths, provide empathetic support, and promote autonomy.