Purpose: The aim of this study in the Middle Ramu, Papua New Guinea, was to gain a better understanding of how cultural factors work to influence the lives of persons with disability in a remote area. The study also explores how this information can be used for the planning of rehabilitation services.
Method: Two phase screening identified persons with disability in the study area and questionnaires were completed for all those identified. Information documented included the nature of the disability, a biomedical cause (where appropriate), the perceived cause of the disability, as well as some indication as to where help had been sought for the disability. In depth interviews were later done with disabled individuals and their families, to determine how they explained their disability.
Results: Thirty-two per cent of persons with disability and their families attributed disability to sorcery or other supernatural causes, a greater proportion than for any other category of perceived aetiology. There was widespread acceptance of Western medicine, although help was more likely to be sought from sources in the community for disabilities believed to have a supernatural origin.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that an understanding of cultural factors is fundamental to implementing rehabilitation services that are culturally appropriate and address the social dimension of disability.