Social networks in African Caribbean & Black Africans with psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Social relationships in people from African Caribbean and Black African backgrounds who have experience of psychosis
IRAS ID
168225
Contact name
Amy Degnan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Research studies show that African Caribbeans (AC) and Black Africans (BA) have the highest rates of psychosis when compared to other ethnic groups in the UK (Fearon et al., 2006). People with psychosis from AC or BA backgrounds are also less likely to seek help from or engage with services and, as a result, more likely to access mental health care through the police or forced admissions than other ethnic groups (Bhui et al., 2003; Morgan, Mallett, Hutchinson, & Leff, 2004). These negative experiences can lead to non-engagement with services and delay help-seeking when symptoms get worse, leading to more negative routes into care and poorer outcomes, such as longer hospital stays and higher rates of readmission (Keating, Robertson, McCulloch, & Francis, 2002).
This research therefore aims to understand factors that influence the help-seeking attitudes and engagement of AC and BA people with psychosis to improve their relationships with mental health services. This will be done through the examination of factors that are thought to influence help-seeking attitudes and engagement with services. This study will be divided into two parts. First, we will explore the relationships between attachment style, service engagement and working alliance with health professionals. Second, we will examine the influence of social networks on help-seeking attitudes and engagement, and test whether these relationships are affected by perceived discrimination, illness beliefs and help-seeking attitudes. Follow-up interviews will be conducted to explore the influence of social networks, illness beliefs, and perceived stigma and discrimination on help-seeking and engagement from the service user perspective.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0086
Date of REC Opinion
26 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion