Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Terri Rorie

Abstract

White privilege and implicit bias are known contributing factors to the racial health inequities that exist in the treatment of Black children in U.S. hospitals. There is limited research, however, on the potential for White nurses to engage in self-examination related to either concept. The purpose of this basic qualitative inquiry was to understand how White privilege and/or implicit bias shapes the lived experiences of White nurses as they treat and interact with Black pediatric patients. The conceptual framework included a modified model comprised of Hobbs’s concept of White privilege and Blair et al.’s model of influences of implicit bias in treatment interactions. A purposeful sample of 13 White pediatric nurses who worked in an urban setting in California for at least a year were interviewed. An iterative coding process yielded 29 subthemes and 10 overarching themes. One group of six participants showed self-awareness of the concepts in their lives and how they influence treatment interactions; the other seven participants showed a lack of self-awareness and understanding of the impact of these concepts. However, some respondents in the latter group grew in their understanding of how these concepts could influence their treatment of patients. Further research with different health professionals may be beneficial. This study may contribute to positive social change by increasing administrators' awareness of the need for training for health care professionals on White privilege and implicit bias. With this training, health care professionals and administrators may be able to ensure a more sensitive and equitable health delivery system that fosters trust between family members and providers and results in better outcomes for Black pediatric patients.

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