Description

Meanings of the heart among a group of older Sikh immigrant women with cardiovascular disease

CHARLES M MATHER

Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada

KATHRYN M KING

Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary Health Science Centre, Calgary AB, Canada

PAM LEBLANC

Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada

ABSTRACT

In this article, we attempt to document the meaning of the heart to Sikh women suffering from cardiovascular disease. Analyzing transcripts from open-ended semi-structured interviews, we look for themes associated with both depictions of the heart in Sikh scripture and prior anthropological studies on heart distress in other cultures. Findings from our analysis are comparable to anthropological studies of heart distress in women from other cultures, with the common strain being that women understand their domestic role obligations as a source of emotional stress that can cause heart distress. Depictions of the heart in Sikh scripture differ from our participants’ experiences, though both emphasize internality and unity. The notions of internality and unity in Sikh scripture are connected with a healthy heart, but in the lives of our participants, internality and unity are a form of emotional duress that plays a role in heart distress.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease; culture; Sikhism