Views of Mental Illness and help-seeking within the Sikh Community
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Perceptions, Understanding and Help-Seeking regarding Psychotic Disorders amongst Service Users, Carer’s and Laypeople: A Qualitative Study of the Sikh Perspective
IRAS ID
272921
Contact name
Ariana Kular
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Warwick
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
Providing culturally appropriate mental health care for ethnic minorities persists as a challenge for the NHS. Thus, there is a growing interest to explore the relationship between religion, culture and mental health. Ethnicities across the UK are diverse, with the second largest ethnic group being reported as “Indian”, a group which is known to be frequently underrepresented within mental health services.
Indians are approximately equally distributed between Hindus and Sikhs within the UK, however they are often amalgamated within the broader “South Asian” group. Established literature assumes that the South Asian community shares more similarities than differences. However, there exists immense ethnic, cultural, and religious differences.
The Sikh community holds a distinct identity to their South Asian counterparts. However, little has been documented concerning their understanding, attitudes and beliefs towards mental illnesses, particularly severe mental disorders such as psychosis, where inequalities in care are heightened.
Through an in-depth exploratory qualitative study, utilising semi-structured interviews with service user's and carer's, and natural focus groups with laypeople, the current research sets out to explore the perceptions and understandings of psychotic disorders and associated help-seeking amongst adult Sikhs in England, and how family, religious belief and practice, and lived experience of psychotic disorders, influence these.
Through gaining this valuable data, guidance can be provided to healthcare professionals on providing culturally appropriate care for this specific community, and can encourage timely referral, diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Additionally, recommendations can be formulated to develop approaches which aim to improve mental health literacy for this community, and in turn facilitate appropriate help-seeking.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/WM/0092
Date of REC Opinion
1 Jun 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion