Mexican American Intergenerational Research: Transformative Model of Occupational Therapy.

Thirty-seven interviews of Mexican American women who crossed the border into the United States during the era of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methods. The intent is to expand the occupational therapy profession's occupational consciousness and cultivate cultural humility. Four themes emerged from the data: suffering, work, yearning for an education, and compassion for others. The findings suggest that environmental barriers such as hierarchy (patriarchy and discrimination) and physical barriers (limited access to built environments, lack of nonexploitative work opportunities, and hostile educational institutions) prevented occupational participation. Small acts of resistance through everyday living (finding joy, playing, self-sufficiency, and community organizing) were identified as facilitators of occupational participation. The research findings challenge proposed assumptions found within the occupational therapy literature: (1) humans and occupations exist as separate from their environments, and (2) work, productivity, and leisure contribute positively to health. The Transformative Model of Occupational Therapy is introduced as a decolonized framework that inextricably links individual health to community and global health. The model centers play, social participation, work, and education as occupations that contribute to the common good. These occupations are kept in equilibrium within the Four Pillars of Culture (self-determination, compassion, sustainability, and language) or the cultural values identified and derived from the stories.

A review of curanderismo and healing practices among Mexicans and Mexican Americans.

Occupational therapists working with Mexican and Mexican American populations may encounter traditional healing practices associated with curanderismo within a variety of practice settings. Curanderismo is a term referring to the practice of traditional healing in Latin American (Hispanic) cultures. This article reviews from the literature the different types of traditional healers (curanderos/as), the remedies recommended by traditional healers and common traditional illnesses treated. Traditional healing practices among Mexican and Mexican Americans may be as high as 50-75% in some parts of the United States. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of curanderismo and its impact on quality of life, activities of daily living and overall social participation.