A Culturally Competent Approach

Cuban American Culture

Larry Purnell, PhD, RN, FAAN

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Overview/Heritage

The Republic of Cuba is a multiracial society with people of primarily Spanish and African origins.
Other ethnocultural groups include Chinese, Haitians, and Eastern Europeans.
Spain, the United States, and the Soviet Union significantly influence Cuba’s history and culture.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Overview/Heritage

Mistrust of government has reinforced a strong personalistic tradition and sense of national identity evolving from family and interpersonal relationships.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Overview/Heritage

Desire for personal freedom, hope of refuge, political exile, and promise of economic opportunities prompted migration.
Cubans in the United States take great pride in their heritage and tend to be conservative, Republican, and anticommunist.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Overview/Heritage

Many possess a strong ethnic identity, speak Spanish, and adhere to traditional Cuban values and practices..
The highest concentration of Cubans is in Florida, although significant numbers live in New Jersey, New York, Illinois, and California.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Communication

Many Cubans live and transact business in Spanish-speaking enclaves.
While the second generation speaks Spanish, many converse with friends or peers in “Spanglish,” a mixture of Spanish and English.
The highly educated are more likely to speak English at home.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Communication

Many value simpatía and personalismo in their interactions with others.
Simpatía, the need for smooth interpersonal relationships, is characterized by courtesy, respect, and the absence of criticism or confrontation.
Personalismo, the importance of intimate interpersonal relationships, is valued over impersonal bureaucratic relationships.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Communication

Choteo, a lighthearted attitude with teasing, bantering, and exaggerating is often observed in their communications with others.
Conversations are characterized by animated facial expressions, direct eye contact, hand gestures, and gesticulations.
Voices tend to be loud, and the rate of speech is fast.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Communication

Touching, handshakes, and hugs are acceptable among family, friends, and acquaintances and may be used to express gratitude to the caregiver.
Touch is common between people of the same gender; older men and women rarely touch in public.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Communication

Most tend to emphasize current issues and problems rather than future ones.
Hora cubana (Cuban time) refers to a flexible period that stretches 1 to 2 hours beyond designated clock time.
Most Cubans use two surnames representing the mother and father’s family names.
Married women may also add the husband’s name.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

Cuban American Family Roles and Organization

Traditional family structure is patriarchal, characterized by a dominant and assertive male and a passive, dependent female.
Traditionally, Cuban wives stay at home, manage the household, and care for children, whereas husbands are expected to work, provide financially, and make major decisions for the family.

Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th Edition

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