South Asian women's experiences of medically unexplained symptoms
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative exploration of South Asian women’s experiences of living with and seeking help for medically unexplained symptoms.
IRAS ID
244179
Contact name
Riddhi Prajapati
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Coventry University
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study aims to explore the lived experience of South Asian women with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). MUS is a term commonly used to describe physical symptoms which cannot be explained by an identifiable disease or organic process. The symptoms are often long-lasting and can cause significant distress and impaired functioning.
South Asian women have typically been generalised as a group who frequently report MUS due to various factors including stigma and shame against psychological distress. Research to date has attempted to describe this pattern, but has mainly been from the perspective of the healthcare system, and very little research has utilised a qualitative approach. This study therefore aims to explore how South Asian women make sense of their MUS, and will apply the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to the research design and data analysis of the proposed project.
Participants will be recruited from a number of local NHS services and voluntary sector organisations across the Midlands, using a purposive sampling design. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to gather detailed qualitative data, which will be transcribed and analysed using IPA to generate themes.
It is hoped that this study will offer a novel in-depth understanding of South Asian women’s experiences of living with and seeking help for MUS, which may enhance understanding of the cultural and social factors implicit in the emergence of these symptoms, lead to increased knowledge of their experiences of seeking help within the UK healthcare system, and raise greater awareness of their needs to offer the most appropriate treatment options and inform service delivery.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SW/0160
Date of REC Opinion
9 Aug 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion