What makes us complete: Hybrid multicultural identity and its social contextual origins

Our research explores the experience of holding a Hybrid Multicultural Identity (a superordinate cultural identity; HMI) and the social contextual experiences hybrid multiculturals describe as influential to the development of an HMI. We conducted a Photovoice study with 10 hybrid multiculturals (age 18-32; 6 women and 4 men) living in a college town in the Midwestern US. The participants valued HMI for the psychological advantages they attributed to this identity. We also found the participants described three broad categories of their social environment that were key to the development of HMI: cultural composition in living environments, perceptions of macro-level marginalization, and culturally related interpersonal experiences. Our research documents (1) the lived experience of being a hybrid multicultural (2) the importance of cultural mixing for HMI development, and (3) how people with HMI describe primarily negative perceptions of the social environment as instrumental to the development of HMI.

Definitions of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD): A Literature Review of Epidemiological Research in Australia

Objective: To identify how Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities are defined in epidemiological research in Australia and provide a definition of CALD status that aids the consistency and interpretability of epidemiological studies. Methods: Peer-reviewed literature from January 2015 to May 2020 was searched via four databases (Ovid Medline combined with PubMed, Embase, Emcare, and CINAHL) to identify quantitative studies of CALD people in Australia. Results: A total of 108 studies met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Country of birth was the most commonly used CALD definition (n = 33, 30.6%), with combinations of two or more components also frequently used (n = 31, 28.7%). No studies used all the components suggested as core to defining CALD status. including country of birth, languages other than English spoken at home, English proficiency, and indigenous status. Conclusions: There was considerable inconsistency in how CALD status was defined. The review suggests that CALD status would best be defined as people born in non-English speaking countries, and/or who do not speak English at home. Additionally, indigenous peoples should be considered separately. This recommended definition will support the better identification of potential health disparity and needs in CALD and indigenous communities.