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The nurse in the mirror: Image of the female nurse during the Italian fascist period

DOI: 10.1111/jan.14679
Authors:
Loredana Piervisani
Loredana Piervisani
Loredana Piervisani
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Antonella Palombo
Antonella Palombo
Antonella Palombo
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Beatrice Albanesi
Beatrice Albanesi
Beatrice Albanesi
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Gennaro Rocco at Centro di Eccellenza per la Cultura e la Ricerca Infermieristica
Gennaro Rocco
  • Centro di Eccellenza per la Cultura e la Ricerca Infermieristica
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Abstract and Figures

Aims To describe the image of the female Licensed Nurse in Italy as promoted by the Fascist party from 1939–1943 and to understand how gender stereotypes influenced the construction of this image. Design Mixed methods design. Method The study started in 2016 and ended in 2019. In the qualitative phase, the primary source was analysis, following Chabod's historical method (2012), while the quantitative phase involved statistical analysis of textual data. Data sources All data came from the only nursing category magazine of the time: ‘L'Infermiera Italiana’ (The Italian Nurse), published from 1939–1943. Results From 112 articles analysed, the gradual elevation of the nurse emerged, including the partial replacement of ‘old’ nurses with Graduate Nurses. The analysis shows the maturation in structure, differentiation and specification, together with the birth of a new professional image. The accepted image of the nurse was now a woman of high moral character with religious ideals, but less known for her technical skills, an exception being the Visiting Health Assistant who functioned at a high level in the society. Conclusions The study shows an articulated, congruent and cohesive set of dimensions through which to review history and to understand the dynamics underlying the structuring of the nurse's professional image. Impact A better understanding of the dynamics behind the development of the professional image will guide present and future actions on gender stereotypes and their negative effects on the safety and quality of nursing care. International synergies and alliances are required.
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J Adv Nurs. 2021;77:957–972. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jan
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© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
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‘Having historical knowledge of a profession is the cornerstone of
professional identity, recognition and criticism surrounding that
profession. Hence, attention to the professional background is
necessary/ (Raiesifar et al., 2016, p. 13). The professional identity
of nurses and the nursing profession are closely interconnected and
the public's image of the nurse relates to the social, cultural and po-
litical system of the time (Braganca & Nirmala, 2017, p. 98). In partic-
ular, ‘the social evaluation of a profession is not only determined by
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1Department of Biomedicine and
Preventi on, University of Rome Tor Vergata,
Rome, Italy
2
of Rome Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Ita ly
3
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4Centre of E xcellence for Nur sing
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5
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of Rome, Rom e, Italy.
Email: palomboanto@aol.com

This stu dy was funded by the Center of
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Italy.
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
the construction of this image.
Mixed methods design.
The study started in 2016 and ended in 2019. In the qualitative phase, the
primary source was analysis, following Chabod's historical method (2012), while the
quantitative phase involved statistical analysis of textual data.
      

             -

the maturation in structure, differentiation and specification, together with the birth of
a new professional image. The accepted image of the nurse was now a woman of high
moral character with religious ideals, but less known for her technical skills, an excep-

The study shows an articulated, congruent and cohesive set of dimen-
sions through which to review history and to understand the dynamics underlying
the structuring of the nurse's professional image.
-
fessional image will guide present and future actions on gender stereotypes and their
negative effects on the safety and quality of nursing care. International synergies and
alliances are required.
 
fascism, gender, historical research, image, licensed nurse, stereotypes
... Both quantitative (QUAN) and qualitative (QUAL), research approaches were used, (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). The quantitative approach was based on computer-analysed statistics as represented by the Automatic Analysis of Textual Data (AATD) approach, which extracted the underlying real-world lexical corpora that are constituted of entire documents (e.g., interviews, monologues, debates) (Piervisani et al., 2021). This approach was chosen to deeply capture the richness of the language, specific to each country, as a cultural component. ...
... The transcripts were analysed using the seven-phase method of the exploratory multidimensional analysis (EMDA) described by (Fraire, 2009) to organize the findings in dendrograms. The data analysis employed was from previous healthcare and social sciences (Piervisani et al., 2021;Robieux et al., 2018). These analyses, known as lexicometry, are statistical analyses based on vocabulary which reorganize words as data to summarize them and make them meaningful. ...
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International nurses to the rescue: The role and contribution of the nurses of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War: International nurses to the rescue
Article
Aim To describe the life and work of the international nurses of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War and to examine their role in relation to their contribution to Spanish nursing in this period. Methods This historical study is based primarily on the memoirs of the international nurses who joined the war health services of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. The evidence that was elicited from these sources was compared and contrasted with other contemporary documents in order to compare their perspectives with those of other contemporaries. Results The nurses of the International Brigades joined the front line health services as part of the mobile medical and surgical teams that were attached to the fighting units. They lived and worked under extreme conditions, often under fire. Their work while in Spain was not limited to care delivery but also included managerial and educational aspects. The international nurses' observations of Spanish nursing at the time were not always accurate, which might be explained by a lack of contact with qualified Spanish nursing staff due to a shortage of fully qualified nurses. Conclusion In the absence of the voices of the Spanish nurses themselves, the written records of the international nurses were invaluable in analyzing Spanish nursing in this period. Their testimonies are, in essence, the international nurses’ legacy to the Spanish nurses who stayed behind after the departure of the International Brigadists in 1938.
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Louisa May Alcott and Hospital Sketches: An Innovative Approach to Gender and Nursing Professionalization
Article
Aim: To show the development of an emerging nursing profession through the eyes of Louisa May Alcott and Hospital Sketches. Background: In Hospital Sketches, Louisa May Alcott recounts her experiences when she worked as a nurse of injured soldiers during the American Civil War, in an autobiographically and masked-referential way, which allows her to negotiate between transgression and convention. Unlike other reviews, in this paper the relevance of nursing remains highlighted. Design: Discussion paper. Data sources: Existing literature on data bases, history books and our own reading of facts. Implications for nursing: Illuminating overlooked meanings hidden in nurses' personal sources enables to approach their contribution to history, improve their visibility and project the future of nursing. Nursing care, whether domestic or professional, was and remains a catalyst for change. Conclusion: Through Alcott's words we understand the transition of nursing care as a gradual extension of the middle class woman's domestic role and a progressive definition of nurses' identity. In particular, we highlight how certain professional nursing nuances which appear in the text are compatible with the gradual extension of the boundaries of women's domesticity. Furthermore, Alcott's use of literary devices reveals the delicate balance between women's domestic role and some new nursing professional features, which anticipates nursing professionalization. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Gewurtz R, Moll SE, Poole J, & Rebeiro Gruhl K. (2015). Qualitative research in mental health and mental illness, 203-223. In K. Olson, R. Young, & I.Z. Schultz (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative health research for evidence-based practice, Vol 4. New York, NY: Springer.
Chapter
  • Oct 2015
In this chapter we present an overview of qualitative research in the mental health field. We provide an historical account of the vital role that qualitative methods have played in the development of theoretical and practice approaches of psychiatry, and their current use in contemporary mental health practice. We consider how different approaches to qualitative research are used to advance knowledge and understanding of mental health, mental illness, and related services and systems, as well as the contributions of qualitative research to the mental health field. We then provide a synthesis of evidence derived from qualitative research within the mental health sector, spanning four key areas: (1) recovery, (2) stigma, (3) employment, and (4) housing. We conclude this chapter with a review of the ongoing challenges facing qualitative researchers in this area.
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