Hmong Culture

To begin with, Hmong ethnic groups originated from isolated mountain villages, and Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, and Myanmar. Next, the term Hmong stands for free people representing Maio race in southern China. The two largest subgroups in the United States and Southeast Asia specialized names such as the Hmong Leng and the Hmong Der. As matter of fact, their language consists of Tonal language and monosyllabic, plus the qeej, a mouth organ, is owned by most families and is often cited as the most beloved emblem of Hmong culture. Another key fact, their known for their beautiful patterns and traditional style of head-dress clothing part of their origins. Hence, about 95% of the Hmong groups take refuge or settled in Asia and living the others
“Meaning, there is no parting between the physical state of a person’s well-being and the highest of the highest spiritual realm impacts and is the injunction of events associated with the physical world” (Hmong customs and culture, n.d.). Equally important, each Hmong is thought to have 12 concrete souls and each soul must remain healthy to maintain harmony and peace. The loss of a soul or souls may cause serious illnesses, which is the most common cause of illness. “As far as, mental illness is concerned, the factors which contributed to mental illness of the Hmong’s are chronic acculturation syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression some of the more commonly identified mental health problems Hmong’s clans are up against” (Tatman, 2004, p. 225). Nevertheless, this cultures might experience neglect or oversight resonated, from being adjusted to other countries of refugee or their infrequent use of mental health services. “However, the reasons behind their mental illness of Hmong’s culture stem from Hmong’s being uprooted from their homeland and the result are experiences of prejudice, family conflict, culture shock, changes in ethnic identity, shifting gender roles, sense of inferiority, sense of uncertainty, loss of support systems, nostalgia or homesickness, feelings of guilt, and communication problems” (McAuliffe, 2013,
(n.d). The effectiveness of a community-based advocacy and learning program for Hmong refugees. American Journal Of Community Psychology, 36(3-4), 387-408.
Hall, G. N., Hong, J. J., Zane, N. S., & Meyer, O. L. (2011). Culturally Competent Treatments for Asian Americans: The Relevance of Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Psychotherapies. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 18(3), 215-231. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2011.01253.x http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_customs_and_culture Lee, S. E. (2013). Mental Health of Hmong Americans: A Metasynthesis of Academic Journal Article Findings. Hmong Studies Journal, 141-31.
McAuliffe, C. (2013). Culturally alert counseling: A comprehensive introduction (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN-13: 9781412981354
Meschke, L., & Juang, L. (n.d). Obstacles to parent-adolescent communication in Hmong American families: exploring pathways to adolescent mental health promotion. Ethnicity & Health, 19(2), 144-159.
Tatman, A. W. (2004). Hmong history, culture, and acculturation: Implications for counseling the Hmong. Journal Of Multicultural Counseling And Development, 32(4), 222-233.