Culturally Sensitive Nursing Care and Its Impact on Abuse Disclosure Among Immigrant-Origin Populations

Background: Immigrant-origin patients often face many systemic barriers when accessing healthcare. Factors such as language barriers, fear of deportation, limited trust in healthcare providers, and lack of culturally sensitive care make it hard for patients to disclose abuse. These challenges contribute to poor health amongst vulnerable populations which highlights the importance of using culturally sensitive and trauma-informed care. Objective: This research aims to test whether culturally adapted, trauma-informed nursing care improves disclosure of abuse and access to support services. The objective is to strengthen safety and trust between healthcare providers and patients through culturally sensitive care. Method: A quantitative quasi-experimental design with a pre-post survey will be used to compare an intervention group receiving culturally sensitive, trauma-informed care with a control group receiving standardized care. The intervention includes interpreter-assisted communication, trauma-informed assessments, and private rooms for disclosure. Data will be collected using validated tools such as Abuse Assessment Screen, HITS, WAST, and Trust in Physician Scale. Data analysis will include demographics, pre-post survey responses, paired-sample t tests, and ANCOVA to assess the differences amongst the groups. Results: Findings show that culturally sensitive, trauma-informed care improves the rate of abuse disclosure, greater trust in healthcare providers, and increased use of support services compared to patients receiving standard care. Conclusion: Culturally sensitive, trauma-informed nursing care strengthens patient trust and improves disclosure among immigrant-origin populations. This study highlights the need for standard care to embed cultural relevance and trauma awareness to reach out to vulnerable populations.