RICERCA ITALIANA     

Research program

Cultural differences and professional cooperation in Health Care settings. A clinical and social research.

University Co-ordinator

Università degli Studi di CATANIA - PROCESSI FORMATIVI - ()

Research Unit Leader

Santo Di Nuovo

Description

Aim of the study.
The unit of Catania University, within the general project, will try to study the modalities of adjustment to work of helping professionals of different ethnicity, in both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. In particular, we will study the attitudes towards the job and of the clients, the representations of health/illness and caring relationship, and the values underlying to these psychological constructs.
Specific aim of the research is to compare immigrant workers
(a) among different occupational contexts: public or private Health Systems (e.g. hospitals vs residences for the assistance of elderly and disabled persons) and different levels of job;
(b) with a sample of Italian workers homogeneous with respect to gender, age and education.

Sample.
For the first "exploratory" phase of the research, the sample will be composed of 200 immigrant workers in caring jobs, an half immigrated in the Sicilian territory and another half autochthonous workers that will constitute the control group.
The sample will be articulated on the basis of the variables:
- type of job (technical-specialist or generic assistance);
- type of working context (public or private structures).
The control group composed of Italian workers will be matched for gender, age and educational level with the immigrant workers’ sample.
The second part of the research aimed to focus, using qualitative methodologies, on specific issues highlighted in the first phase, will be carried out with the collaboration of a sample composed of 30 workers of different ethnic background. These subjects will be involved in small groups within each structure, using a focus group methodology (almost 6 groups and 8 three-hours sessions for each group will be scheduled).

Instruments.
In the first phase of the research, workers’ attitudes and representations toward health/illness and caring jobs, and the personal values will be studied through questionnaires and semi-structured techniques.
In particular, a Values Inventory and "Semantic Differential" (a technique useful for the analysis of connotative meaning) will be administered.
Semi-projective graphic instruments will be also used to study the organization of the relational life space.
All these instruments are derived by previous studies made by our research group, and adequately validated within these studies.
In the second part of the research, the qualitative approach will be supported by techniques as the narration and the discourse and graphic production, similar to those used by other research units.

Analysis of data.
The responses obtained by the subjects will be analysed in order to show differences among the subgroups of the sample.
In the first phase the data will be analysed by means of quantitative (parametric and non parametric, univariate and multivariate) analyses. The results of the second phase will be analysed by means of methods typical of action-research. For the qualitative approach a content analysis will be used, supported by computerised programs.

Temporal plan of the research.
The first year, according to the other research units and in connection with them, will be devoted to the analysis of the scientific literature pertinent to the issue.
The instruments for quantitative research will be administered to the wider sample above described.
In the second year we will study the thematic nodes emerged by quantitative studies, through interviews in-depth and focus group techniques. The results of the action-research will be compared with those obtained by other research units.
A final report will be produced, containing cues for an operative approach of counseling and support to the immigrated persons working in caring jobs in the Sicilian context.

Institutional collaborations.
The research project will be carried out in close collaboration with the “Immigration Project” by the Administration of the City of Catania, and with the structure named “House of Peoples” devised to facilitate integration of the immigrant persons in the Italian context, and to promote cultural exchanges among the various ethnic groups. Experts in pedagogy working in this structure and in Public Health System will collaborate to collect and elaborate data, to their interpretation and to the definition of the possible operative applications.