"We are always asked; 'where are you from?'": Chilean women's reflections in midlife about their health and influence of migration to Sweden

Abstract

Aim: This study explored how Chilean immigrant women living in Sweden perceived and related their life situations and health status during midlife to their migration experiences. Method: Three focus group discussions (FGDs) were performed with 21 middle-aged Chilean women (40-60 years) who had lived in Stockholm for at least 15-20 years. In-depth interviews were held with three key informants. A combination of manifest and latent content analysis was performed to structure and categorize the tape-recorded and transcribed data. Findings: Three main themes emerged from the data: (i) Chilean women's reflections about migration and resettlement; (ii) Health during midlife; perceptions of Chilean women living in Sweden; and (iii) Strategies to manage their lives and to gain social acceptance and position. The Chilean women reflected about the discrimination they had met in the Swedish society and within the health care system along with health changes they had had during midlife. They connected some of their health related problems to their hardships of migration. They also expressed confusion about the health care they had received in Sweden including conflicting and mistrusting relationship with some health care providers. Important for their way of coping with their own health seemed to be a recognition of their own space, level of independence, self-acceptance and awareness of power relationships. Conclusion: The results illuminate the importance of awareness of influence of gender and socio-cultural aspects, power relationships and communication skills among health care providers on women's health. Complementary interventions to the biomedical paradigm are needed and should be addressed in Swedish health staff educational programmes as well as in clinical training. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Nordic College of Caring Science.