Cultural Differences in Patients’ Preferences for Paternalism: Comparing Mexican and American Patients’ Preferences for and Experiences with Physician Paternalism and Patient Autonomy

Abstract

Following up on previous research demonstrating the high level of care realized by a paternalistic Mexican physician, the present research further explored the hypothesis that there are cultural differences in preferences for and experiences with physician paternalism vs. patient autonomy in White American culture as compared with Mexican culture. In this research, we interviewed sixty (60) people including twenty (20) Mexican, twenty (20) Mexican American, and twenty (20) White American respondents. We asked these patients about their experiences with and attitudes towards paternalism and patient autonomy in healthcare interactions. With some caveats, our data showed strong support for both hypotheses while also suggesting a high level of care can be realized by paternalistic physicians when “paternalism” is understood in a cultural context. We close with a brief consideration of the implications of these findings.