Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria

The Transmission of Culturally Determined Health  Beliefs Among Three Generations of Greek Families in Melbourne, Australia

Lecturer: Ms. Maria-Irini Avgoulas
Entry: Free

The onset of any form of illness, whether it is a significant life event such as a chronic condition or the common flu, can pose a challenge for individuals and families in general at both a micro and macro level.

However, the way in which individuals adapt and conceptualize any such illness is closely related to cultural and linguistic factors that are an integral part of a person’s identity.

These acquired ways of thinking are often based on traditions and beliefs that have been handed down from one generation to the next, that have been embedded in one’s culture over time.
In the case of health, these cultural conceptualizations are not necessarily grounded in medical fact but are widely accepted as ‘trustworthy’ by most members of the community and shape their health beliefs and practices.

Such beliefs also form an important link between the individual and his or her cultural community and, equally significant, have the potential to affect a person’s health and well-being both directly and indirectly.

This qualitative study presents the transmission of health beliefs among three generations of Greek families in Melbourne, Australia and the way they understand both health and disease as an aspect of cultural maintenance in the context of the larger Australian society.

 
Biography

Ms. Maria-Irini Avgoulas is currently employed at Latrobe University in Melbourne, Australia and holds the role of Associate Lecturer/Placements Co-ordinator Rehabilitation Counselling in the School of Public Health and Human Biosciences.

Maria’s previous clinical experience includes several years of working in health (acute hospital settings and in-patient psychiatry). She was also employed for a number of years with Centrelink, an Australian Government statutory agency.

In 2011 Ms. Avgoulas undertook a study examining the cultural understanding of health and adjustment to CVD among the Greek elderly of Melbourne, Australia. This study is part of a PhD research project that Ms. Avgoulas commenced in 2012 at Deakin University examining the Transmission of Culturally Determined Health Beliefs among Three Generations of Greek Families in Melbourne, Australia.