Cultural self-awareness: An analysis of the cultural self-awareness in student osteopaths at the Unitec Institute of Technology in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

BACKGROUND: As New Zealand’s society becomes increasingly multicultural osteopaths are delivering care to a more diverse population than ever before. The provision of high-quality, culturally safe and effective care begins with cultural self-awareness. Cultural self-awareness is the recognition of one’s values, biases, beliefs and stereotypes. The recognition and development of cultural self-awareness early in a student osteopath’s education allow for improved communication, rapport building and patient satisfaction that transitions into professional practice. This study aimed to identify the levels of cultural self-awareness of student osteopaths and to explore the factors that may be associated with these levels.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study of osteopathy students from the School of Osteopathy at Unitec Institute of Technology was conducted using an online self-administered survey. The survey contained three questionnaires: A demographic questionnaire, The Cultural Awareness Scale (CAS) questionnaire and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability (MCSD) Scale Short Form-C. Data was analysed using SPSS version 26.

RESULTS: A total of 28 students participated in this study (75% response rate). Overall, students reported a moderately high level of cultural self-awareness. Results showed that students who had higher levels of cultural self-awareness also reported higher levels of social desirability response bias. The demographic variables of age and ethnicity had a significant influence on cultural self-awareness regarding students’ general educational experience and cognitive awareness.

CONCLUSION: These findings provide osteopathic educators with knowledge regarding baseline levels of cultural self-awareness and identifies factors that may need to be addressed to develop cultural self-awareness in future practice. This is the first known study addressing cultural self- awareness in Unitec osteopathy students and adds to a growing body of research addressing cultural self-awareness in the continued development of culturally congruent healthcare