Increasing cultural diversity requires effective educational strategies to support nursing students' cultural awareness and readiness for culturally competent practice. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. Forty-three fourth-year nursing students completed a single-group pre-test/post-test study without a control group using the Cultural Competence Assessment Tool. Four weekly sessions were delivered. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 students and analyzed inductively. Post-test cultural awareness and total cultural competence scores were higher than pre-test scores (both p < .001; dz = 1.07 and dz = 0.67). Self-assessment scores increased in awareness and cultural sensitivity, whereas no significant change was found in self-assessed cultural practice. Qualitative findings highlighted language barriers, limited cultural knowledge, and the method's concise, awareness-raising nature. Pecha Kucha appears to function mainly as a reflective, awareness-oriented pedagogical approach that supports readiness for culturally competent practice, rather than as an intervention producing immediate behavioral competence.

This review synthesizes qualitative evidence on nursing students' experiences with family caregivers. Family caregivers play a pivotal role in patient care. Nursing students frequently interact with family caregivers during their clinical training, yet they report feeling unprepared. A meta-synthesis was conducted following the thematic approach of Thomas and Harden. Six databases were searched, and studies were screened and analyzed independently by two reviewers. Thematic synthesis followed a three-stage process to identify descriptive and analytical themes. The methodological rigor of included studies was assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist, and confidence in findings was evaluated with the GRADE-CERQual framework. Six studies involving 122 participants were included. Methodological quality was generally moderate to high according to the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist, with the strongest congruity reported in study design and data interpretation, and lower reporting related to researcher reflexivity. Two analytical themes were identified: (1) Navigating relationships through balancing support, communication, context, and culture, encompassing the descriptive themes The role of families in caregiving, Building trust through clear and tailored communication, and Cultural and contextual factors in interactions with family members; and (2) Building skills and emotional resilience, including Emotional intelligence in relationships with families and Educational gaps and the role of supervisors. According to the GRADE-CERQual framework, confidence in findings was moderate for most themes and low for cultural and contextual factors. Overall, families were recognized as essential partners in care, while students reported communication challenges, emotional demands, and reliance on supervisors to bridge educational gaps. Nursing programs should prioritize structured training in communication, emotional intelligence, and cultural competence, supported by mentorship and simulation-based learning. Further research is needed to explore students' experiences with family caregivers in different settings, educational interventions, and the impact of mentorship on students' competencies in family-centered care.

Although borderline personality disorder (BPD) is more frequently diagnosed among sexual minority individuals than heterosexual individuals, it is unclear the degree to which this disparity reflects differences in symptom expression, diagnostic bias, or some combination of the two. Among treatment-seeking adults with BPD (N = 121, Mage = 28.4; 76% female, 89% White, and 57% sexual minority), we examined differential item functioning (DIF) and group differences in symptom severity using self-reported and clinician-administered BPD measures (Zanarini Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder-Self-Rated, Zanarini Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder-Clinician-Rated, Structural Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth edition-Personality Disorders). Although there was no evidence of DIF for any self-reported item, sexual minority participants endorsed self-injurious behaviors (B = 0.63, p = .01), stress-related paranoia or dissociation (B = 0.62, p = .01), efforts to avoid abandonment (B = 0.53, p = .02), and unstable relationships (B = 0.54, p = .03) more often than heterosexual participants on average, contributing to greater past-week total symptomatology (B = 3.88, p < .01). Clinician-administered items assessing self-injurious behaviors exhibited uniform DIF and were "easier" to endorse for sexual minority participants. Furthermore, assessors rated self-injurious behaviors for sexual minority participants more often over the past week (B = 0.51, p < .01) and past 2 years (odds ratio = 3.58, p < .01) than heterosexual participants, and affective instability over the past 2 years (odds ratio = 4.00, p < .05). These results suggest that patients and assessors interpreted most BPD items similarly, while emphasizing the need for nuanced examination of symptomatology and cultural competence in clinical practice to ensure accurate evaluation of BPD across diverse groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Re-imagining poppers regulation in Canada: Perspectives from pharmacists, pharmacy students and public health practitioners.

ABSTRACT This article examines recruitment practices for Māori-focused positions within Aotearoa New Zealand’s library and information management sector, in the context of Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and the long- standing need to strengthen Māori workforce capacity. Analysis of 37 position descriptions and eight interviews with library leaders shows that, while professional library qualifications remain desirable, employers increasingly prioritise cultural and linguistic competencies in tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori and te reo Māori. This shift reflects both the limited availability of qualified Māori librarians and growing recognition that Māori knowledge systems are essential for culturally grounded services. However, expectations vary widely across the sector, with inconsistent requirements and frequent omissions of mātauranga Māori. Most roles were permanent, full-time positions, though salary ranges were often unclear. The findings highlight the need for more consistent, culturally informed recruitment practices, improved salary transparency, and supportive environments that enable Māori staff to thrive.

A public health framework for preventing 'honour' based abuse: The three-phase model of perpetration.

Purpose This qualitative study examines how Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander not-for-profits (NFPs) navigate the structural tensions between compliance requirements and First Nations governance practices. While existing research highlights challenges for NFP directors with financial literacy and board engagement, little is known about how CFOs adapt financial reporting practices to support effective governance in intercultural organisational settings. Design/methodology/approach This study combines longitudinal participant observation with in-depth interviews across 20 organisations. Strong structuration theory (SST) is used to analyse how CFOs navigate competing structural demands and how their practices gradually reshape governance routines over time. Findings CFOs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NFPs encounter structural tensions between regulatory compliance requirements and directors' culturally grounded information needs. Strategic CFO responses include relationship-building as structural work to address cultural constraints, creating hybrid governance innovations and developing culturally responsive reporting practices. Through repeated interactions, these practices reshape governance expectations and reporting routines, enabling directors' financial oversight while maintaining cultural legitimacy. Practical implications The study offers stakeholder-specific recommendations including cultural competency requirements for accounting professionals, targeted governance support funding from government agencies, and recognition of First Nations organisations as leaders in governance innovation. It also provides guidance for developing culturally responsive financial reporting frameworks. Originality/value This research provides new insights into boardroom dynamics in First Nations NFP settings and extends SST by identifying cultural protocols as external constraints rather than internal dispositions and revealing relationship building as a form of structural work that enables governance transformation in intercultural contexts.

There is a lack of understanding of the landscape of advance care planning (ACP) in the Asia Pacific, and to our knowledge, no previous comparative study has been performed. This study sets out to map the current landscape of ACP implementation across member sectors within the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN). This was a cross-sectional survey of purposively sampled experts and leaders, with at least 5 years of experience in ACP-related practice, from the member sectors of APHN. There is a rich diversity of approaches to ACP implementation, including its conceptualisation, time of initiation and accessibility across various sectors in the Asia Pacific region. The implementation of ACP as a national or organisational programme is associated with increased perceptions of its uptake and accessibility, particularly within Taiwan, New Zealand and Singapore. In some Asian sectors such as in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, a more family-led ACP process exists, even if the patient has capacity to make healthcare decisions. Most sectors reported top barriers to ACP as a lack of public awareness (9 out of 15 sectors) and lack of empowerment of healthcare professionals (13 out of 15 sectors) as well as social taboo (11 out of 15 sectors). National and organisational support for the ACP process, cultural competency in ACP and engagement efforts to raise awareness and address barriers to ACP are important considerations in ACP implementation in the Asia Pacific.

ABSTRACT This study examines the role and impact of LGBTQ+ liaison officers within police departments in the United States. 1 Despite the historical tensions between law enforcement and LGBTQ+ communities, liaison programs have emerged as a strategy to enhance communication and address systemic discrimination. Using survey data from 49 LGBTQ+ liaison officers, we examine the factors influencing the adoption of liaison models, the responsibilities and activities of these officers, and their perceived effectiveness. Findings reveal that while LGBTQ+ liaison officers engage in both internal (departmental training and recruitment) and external (community outreach and advocacy) activities, they face challenges related to visibility, institutional support, and community skepticism. The study highlights the ‘visibility paradox,’ where officers’ roles enhance public awareness but also expose them to professional and social backlash. Furthermore, despite increased representation, many liaison officers report a lack of formalized training and ambiguous role definitions. This research underscores the need for stronger institutional support, ongoing cultural competency training, and systemic reforms to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of LGBTQ+ liaison programs.

Impact of task-driven blended learning on cultural intelligence and intercultural communication competence in nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

Objectives The PHEIC status of COVID-19 was officially lifted by the WHO on May 5, 2023. However, many nations continue to grapple with its impacts, particularly those that have not fully embraced the emergency culture. This study aims to explore ways to enhance emergency culture that rose during the COVID-19 response, ultimately contributing to effective pandemic management. Methods A systematic literature review, including the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram and checklist, was used to compare cultural unawareness with cultural awareness across six nations: Japan, Sweden, South Africa, the United States, Brazil, and Australia. Results To varying degrees, all six nations exhibited cultural unawareness during their COVID-19 responses, which manifested in issues such as personal responsibilities, herd immunity, inequalities, individualism, economic priorities, language barriers, and other factors. Conclusion These six nations must adaptively transform their cultural unawareness into cultural awareness while enhancing leadership, communication, cultural competence, emergency preparedness, and international cooperation. This study offers a comprehensive perspective on the emergency culture surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, emphasizing the critical importance of cultural awareness.

BackgroundArtificial intelligence (AI) may offer potential to augment risk assessment and expand personalised treatment in prison psychiatry. In Queensland, prisoners experience high rates of mental illness, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented, placing additional demands on already overstretched services.PurposeTo explore the potential role of AI in enhancing clinical decision-making, improving risk assessment (including recidivism, self-harm, and violence), and supporting more personalised treatment approaches within prison psychiatry. Research DesignConceptual and ethical discussion of AI applications in correctional mental health, considering clinical, cultural, and systemic implications.Study SampleConceptual discussion focused on prison populations in Queensland, particularly individuals with mental illness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Data Collection and/or AnalysisCritical synthesis of emerging AI risk-prediction models and their potential application in correctional psychiatry, alongside analysis of ethical considerations such as bias, transparency, and cultural competence.ResultsAI-based risk-prediction models may help identify emerging risks related to recidivism, self-harm, and violence, supporting earlier intervention and improved resource allocation. However, these models may also reproduce structural biases embedded in underlying data, raising concerns about equity and fairness. ConclusionsAI has potential to support, but not replace, clinical judgement and therapeutic relationships in prison psychiatry. Ethical implementation requires rigorous validation, transparency, and sustained human oversight, with strong emphasis on cultural competence to ensure equitable outcomes.

ABSTRACT Autonomous territories are geographically delimited areas where political, social, and cultural capacities have been devolved to accord a measure of self-governance to the region. The Åland Islands, an autonomous territory within the unitary Finnish state, have issued stamps for more than 40 years as an element of the islands’ autonomous capacities. This paper explores the Åland Islands’ stamps issued between 1984 and 2024 by conducting a thematic analysis and categorizing the stamps by visual content. The paper develops this analysis by considering how the stamps issued by the Åland Islands differ thematically from those produced by the Finnish state and by exploring the themes of autonomy and Åland as islands of peace in the visual representations on the stamps. For autonomies, the issuance of stamps is an opportunity to express cultural competence as distinct from but still as part of the central state. Stamps are a medium through which territory is visually narrated not only by states but a variety of actors in the international system.

ABSTRACT This study investigates how language learning engagement is associated with sociocultural adaptation among international students enrolled in Chinese language education programmes, focusing on the potential mediating role of intercultural communication competence and the moderating roles of perceived institutional support and cultural distance. Drawing on intercultural adaptation theory and models of communicative competence, a moderated mediation model was tested using structural equation modelling (AMOS) on data collected from 395 international students through a multi-wave survey design. The results indicate that language learning engagement shows significant direct and indirect associations, with intercultural communication competence serving as a significant mediator. Perceived institutional support positively moderates the relationship between language learning engagement and intercultural communication competence, whereas cultural distance negatively moderates the link between intercultural communication competence and sociocultural adaptation. These findings provide support for a more comprehensive understanding of how individual engagement, communicative mechanisms and contextual conditions interact to shape adaptation experiences in Chinese language education settings.

LGBTQ+ individuals face grieving processes complicated by minority stress, structural discrimination, and fears related to disclosure of their sexual orientation or gender identity, which leads to disenfranchised grief within healthcare systems that remain heteronormative. Recent literature on palliative care highlights inequities in access, a lack of recognition of chosen families, and gaps in professionals' LGBTQ+ cultural competence. To explore research published between 2021 and 2026 on grief and bereavement-related experiences among LGBTQ+ adults in healthcare and palliative care settings, identifying the main topics addressed and knowledge gaps relevant to clinical practice. A scoping review was conducted following the framework of Arksey and O'Malley and the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported according to PRISMA-ScR. Original articles were searched for in 6 databases (February 2026). Independent double screening (k = 0.87) with removal of duplicates. Primary empirical studies on grief and bereavement-related experiences in LGBTQ+ adults in healthcare or palliative care settings were included, including studies on end-of-life communication, advance care planning, disclosure processes, and bereavement-related support when they provided identifiable primary data. Data were extracted using structured templates and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Seven primary empirical studies were included, with qualitative designs predominating. The evidence was mainly produced in English-speaking countries. Four main themes were identified: minority stress, complexities of disclosure, disenfranchised grief, and gaps in professional training. Critical gaps included underrepresentation of transgender people, a scarcity of quantitative data, an absence of intersectional perspectives, and concentration in Western contexts. Grief and bereavement-related experiences of LGBTQ+ adults in healthcare and palliative care settings appear to be profoundly shaped by structural dynamics of stigma, the invisibility of the chosen family, and training deficits in LGBTQ+ cultural competence. These findings suggest the need to develop institutional protocols sensitive to disclosure preferences, formally recognize the chosen family in end-of-life decisions, and incorporate mandatory training in LGBTQ+ competencies into curricula and continuing education programs. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and interventionist designs, intersectional approaches, and studies in non-Western contexts.

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being and moral resilience among nursing students via a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase included 236 nursing students purposively selected from a university in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye (response rate: 62.9%). The quantitative data were collected via the three-factor spiritual well-being scale and the Rushton Moral Resilience Scale. The qualitative phase consisted of semistructured in-depth interviews with 17 nursing students selected through purposive sampling. A weak positive correlation was found between the Harmony with Nature dimension and the overall Rushton Moral Resilience Scale score (r = 0.190, p = 0.003). A weak positive correlation was also identified between the overall Spiritual Well-Being Scale score and the overall Rushton Moral Resilience Scale score (r = 0.312, p < 0.001). In addition, the transcendence dimension was negatively correlated with moral adversity (r=-0.229, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with moral efficacy (r = 0.351, p < 0.001). The qualitative findings indicated that spiritual well-being was associated with moral resilience through empathy and compassion, a tendency toward right and good behaviors, motivation and satisfaction, coping with challenging situations, and professional responsibility. However, qualitative findings also revealed that spirituality-related values and beliefs may sometimes contribute to internal tensions in ethical decision-making processes. Spiritual well-being was positively associated with moral resilience among nursing students. However, some aspects of spirituality may also create ethical tensions in clinical decision-making. Therefore, nursing education should strengthen content related to spirituality, ethics, cultural competence, and ethical decision-making while supporting students in managing potential value conflicts encountered in clinical practice.

ABSTRACT This research explores Chinese Physical Education teachers who have studied abroad, with a focus on their experiences within a globalizing world. The research focuses on their cultural and pedagogical adaptation process, as well as their changes in teaching practices. The research is conducted using a qualitative approach with a focus on meaning-making. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with seven Chinese PE teachers who had studied abroad. The findings from the thematic analysis show that there are four main themes focusing on motivations for studying, challenges faced, cultural adaptation, and impacts on teaching. The research shows that participants are highly motivated to study abroad due to academic as well as cultural exposure. However, they faced a lot of challenges, such as language, cultural and academic challenges. Despite all these challenges, they were still able to come up with a system of adaptation. Based on the findings, it is suggested to incorporate intercultural competence training into teacher preparation programs and providing more robust institutional support for Chinese teachers preparing to study abroad.

Increasing global migration has intensified the need for culturally competent healthcare, particularly in countries with high immigrant populations. This study aimed to examine the effect of intercultural competence training on cultural sensitivity and communication skills among nursing students caring for immigrant patients. This experimental study with a control group was conducted online with 69 first-year nursing students at a public university (33 experimental, 36 control). The intercultural competence training program, delivered via online, included lectures, case-based discussions, and interactive activities over four weeks. Data were collected using the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) and the Communication Skills Scale (CSS). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25. The experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in both ISS and CSS scores following the intervention (p < 0.05), whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. Intercultural competence training effectively improves cultural sensitivity and communication skills among nursing students. These findings highlight the importance of integrating such training into nursing education to enhance the quality and equity of healthcare for immigrant populations. Further studies with larger samples and long-term follow-up are recommended.

ABSTRACT This case study examines the role of transnational educational contexts in shaping student identity and fostering intercultural competence at Germany’s leading private university for international diversity. With 85% of its 2,000 students coming from over 120 countries and no single, dominant national culture, Constructor University (CU) offers a unique superinternational environment to study intercultural competence and identity formation. Based on 15 in-depth interviews with students and meetings with university staff, we examine how intercultural competence is fostered at CU through a mixture of structured intercultural training and everyday ongoing interaction. Students reported moving beyond national stereotypes to appreciate individuals for their personalities, articulating what some interviewees referred to as a ‘culture of respect’. Drawing on postcolonial theories of creolisation, we explore how this respect emerges in ‘everyday actions’ alongside – and sometimes in tension with – the university’s structured intercultural initiatives. Our findings highlight the critical role of internationalised higher education contexts in fostering robust intercultural competence among students and contributing to broader Sustainable Development Goals, as well as modelling peacebuilding in highly diverse contexts.

This paper presents a case study aimed at investigating the training of teachers within an indigenous education institution. The study conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers from various fields working in an institution situated in the Nasa territory of the Cauca department in Colombia. This institution serves a diverse population including peasants, Nasa indigenous people, and Afro-descendants. The research methodology employed discourse analysis for data interpretation. The primary conclusion drawn from this study underscores a noticeable absence of intercultural training among teachers working within such institutions. Despite this deficiency, the teachers' practical experience and the unique context in which they operate allow for a meaningful exchange of knowledge. This dynamic enables the integration of teaching methods that align with the indigenous education model. Consequently, this exchange of knowledge contributes to the empowerment and cohesion of the Nasa community. Keywords: Teaching; quality of the education; intercultural education; teacher training; ethnic education.