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" We Are What We Are: Religious Discrimination and Oral Health Care Among Muslim People in Montreal "
Tandale, Madhura
Bedos, Christophe
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Latin Dissertation
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English
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| Record Number
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1054940
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| Doc. No
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TL54057
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| Main Entry
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Tandale, Madhura
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| Title & Author
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We Are What We Are: Religious Discrimination and Oral Health Care Among Muslim People in Montreal\ Tandale, MadhuraBedos, Christophe
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| College
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McGill University (Canada)
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| Date
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2020
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| Degree
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M.S.
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2020
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| Note
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73 p.
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| Abstract
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Background: The Muslim people are the second-largest religious group in Canada and represent approximately 3.2 per cent of the population. Since the Bouchard-Taylor commission on ''reasonable accommodation'' of minorities in Quebec, Muslim people have been at the forefront of the debate on religious signs and symbols. They have also faced discrimination and even violence; the Quebec City mosque shooting in 2017 being an example. While there is a large body of research on the impact of racial and ethnic discrimination on physical and mental health, very little is known about the impact of religious discrimination. In particular, we know very little about how experiencing religious discrimination may affect people's oral health and oral health-related behaviors. Research Question: How does religious discrimination affect the oral health care of Muslim people? Methodology: We conducted a qualitative exploratory study within the Muslim people of Montreal, Quebec. We adopted a maximum variation sampling strategy regarding age, sex, education level, marital status, and employment status. We collected our data through face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews of 11 participants practicing Islam. The interviews were audio - recorded and transcribed verbatim to be analyzed. Data analysis was carried out by using a thematic analysis approach, which allowed us to provide a detailed description of the phenomenon. Results: The participants experienced religious discrimination in three different settings, most commonly in daily life but also in the healthcare and the dental healthcare systems. The participants experienced discrimination in the form of verbal, non-verbal, physical aggression related to Islamic clothing and prayer rituals in public places (metro station, streets, bus, etc.). These experiences had a major impact on their life, including stress and anxiety, feelings of insecurity, and, in some cases, emigration to escape discrimination. Some participants experienced negative behaviors and disinterest from healthcare and non-healthcare professionals (receptionists), which generated a lack of trust in healthcare professionals in general. Three participants had similar experiences during their dental visits that led them to lose trust in dentists and, ultimately, avoid dental visits. Conclusion: In sum, our findings showed that religious discrimination had an impact on the mental health of the Muslim people through stress and anxiety. It may have an impact on the use of dental care services and access to care. And this, in turn, may negatively impact oral health. We were unable to determine the impact of psychological stress and anxiety on oral health-related behaviors such as diet and oral hygiene.
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| Descriptor
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Dentistry
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Health care management
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Middle Eastern studies
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Bedos, Christophe
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McGill University (Canada)
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