Culture in Nursing Practice
Sergio is a 32-year-old single male who lives with his mother and younger brother in New York City. His mother and father emigrated from Naples, Italy, before Sergio was born. He grew up speaking an Italian dialect and learning traditional beliefs about health from his mother, as his father died when he was very young. Sergio’s mother often told him how life was precarious at best, there were many evils in the world, and he must protect himself from these agents, called the malocchio. She told Sergio he can protect himself from the evil eye by using magical symbols and by learning the rituals of the maghi. Sergio still wears the red horn his mother had given him as a symbol of protection when he was a child. Although Sergio was raised in America and uses the health-care system when he is sick, he still believes that evil agents exist and can have a negative impact on his health.
1. What is malocchio and maghi?
2. What are some of the symptoms of malocchio?
3. What are some of the traditional treatments for malocchio?
4. What might allopathic providers prescribe to treat malocchio?
5. How common is it for second- or third-generation Italian Americans to have malocchio?