TY - JOUR
T1 - Communication disability in Fiji
T2 - Community self-help and help-seeking support
AU - Hopf, Suzanne C.
AU - McLeod, Sharynne
AU - McDonagh, Sarah H.
AU - Wang, Cen
AU - Rakanace, Epenisa N.
N1 - Includes bibliographical references.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Purpose: To understand how a Fijian community supports people with communication disability (PWCD) and whether their support is associated with participant demographics. Method: Thematic analysis of 144 questionnaires that asked about participants’ actions to support a fictional child and adult with communication disability. Result: Participant responses fell into two categories: what they would do directly (self-help) and people and places where they would seek assistance (help-seeking). Self-help behaviours included: making a change to their own communication style or mode; trying to change their own and others’ behaviour; teaching new skills; praying; changing the physical environment; seeking information independently; assessing or observing; and, using traditional medicine, western medicine, or traditional belief practices. Help-seeking behaviours included seeking help from: other community members; education professionals; a professional in another country; spiritual leaders; traditional belief practitioners; traditional medicine practitioners; western health care practitioners; or, an alternative provider (e.g. home, orphanage, nursing home). Younger participants and those of iTaukei Fijian ethnicity were more likely to seek help from other community members. Conclusion: This Fijian community actively supports people with communication disability within available networks. Development of speech-language pathology services for people with communication disability living in similar communities should harness the informal knowledge within these networks.
AB - Purpose: To understand how a Fijian community supports people with communication disability (PWCD) and whether their support is associated with participant demographics. Method: Thematic analysis of 144 questionnaires that asked about participants’ actions to support a fictional child and adult with communication disability. Result: Participant responses fell into two categories: what they would do directly (self-help) and people and places where they would seek assistance (help-seeking). Self-help behaviours included: making a change to their own communication style or mode; trying to change their own and others’ behaviour; teaching new skills; praying; changing the physical environment; seeking information independently; assessing or observing; and, using traditional medicine, western medicine, or traditional belief practices. Help-seeking behaviours included seeking help from: other community members; education professionals; a professional in another country; spiritual leaders; traditional belief practitioners; traditional medicine practitioners; western health care practitioners; or, an alternative provider (e.g. home, orphanage, nursing home). Younger participants and those of iTaukei Fijian ethnicity were more likely to seek help from other community members. Conclusion: This Fijian community actively supports people with communication disability within available networks. Development of speech-language pathology services for people with communication disability living in similar communities should harness the informal knowledge within these networks.
KW - Communication disability
KW - Developing communities
KW - Fiji
KW - ICF
KW - Professional issues
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85022024248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85022024248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17549507.2017.1337226
DO - 10.1080/17549507.2017.1337226
M3 - Article
C2 - 28683579
AN - SCOPUS:85022024248
SN - 1754-9507
VL - 20
SP - 554
EP - 568
JO - International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
JF - International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
IS - 5
ER -