Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
Division of Psychology, London South Bank University, London, UK.
Ethn Health. 2023 May;28(4):522-543. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2022.2104817. Epub 2022 Jul 31.
Students of African, Caribbean and similar ethnicity (ACE) encounter unique mental health challenges within the Western higher education system, such as feeling constrained in social spaces and perceiving greater stigma about mental health. Students of ACE are also resilient to mental health problems, such as depression, when enduring social inequality. This study aimed to conceptualise mental illness and help-seeking behaviours among university students in the United Kingdom (UK) in the context of their identity as ACE.
Six university students of ACE in the UK were interviewed about the meaning of mental illness, the influence of ACE culture on mental health and help-seeking by ACE students. Thematic analysis was applied from a socio-constructionist theoretical lens to interpret the interview transcripts.
Five main themes emerged, namely 'Perceived meanings and attitudes toward mental health problems', 'Beliefs about the non-existence of mental health problem and its spiritual attributions', 'Family dynamics and the 'silencing' of mental health problems', 'Help-seeking for mental health among people of ACE' and 'Stigma and discriminatory responses to mental health issues'. Participants expressed that mental health is an imported concept that people from ACE communities tend to shy away from. A reluctance to discuss mental health problems arose over fear of rejection from families and fear of not being understood by a mental health professional from a different cultural background.
University students of ACE and their families struggle to adopt the Western conceptualisation of mental health. Consequently, there is poor awareness of mental health issues and stigma of mental illness among university students of ACE which pose a barrier to help-seeking for mental health. The limited sample size constrains the ability to draw sound conclusions. Nonetheless, a culturally sensitive conceptualisation of mental health is needed to address poor help-seeking for mental health among people of ACE.
在西方高等教育系统中，非裔加勒比和类似族裔（ACE）的学生面临着独特的心理健康挑战，例如在社交空间中感到受限，并且对心理健康的污名化感知更强烈。当 ACE 学生承受社会不平等时，他们也能抵御抑郁等心理健康问题。本研究旨在从 ACE 学生的身份出发，对英国（UK）大学生的精神疾病概念和寻求帮助行为进行概念化。
在英国的六名 ACE 大学生接受了关于精神疾病的含义、ACE 文化对心理健康的影响以及 ACE 学生寻求帮助的采访。采用主题分析方法，从社会建构主义理论视角解释访谈记录。
出现了五个主要主题，分别是“对心理健康问题的感知意义和态度”、“对不存在心理健康问题及其精神归因的信念”、“家庭动态和心理健康问题的‘沉默’”、“ACE 人群的心理健康寻求帮助”和“对心理健康问题的污名化和歧视性反应”。参与者表示，心理健康是 ACE 社区的人往往回避的一个进口概念。不愿讨论心理健康问题是因为害怕被家人拒绝，以及害怕来自不同文化背景的心理健康专业人员无法理解。
ACE 大学生及其家人难以接受西方对心理健康的概念化。因此，ACE 大学生对心理健康问题的认识和对精神疾病的污名化较差，这对他们寻求心理健康帮助构成了障碍。样本量有限限制了得出可靠结论的能力。尽管如此，需要对心理健康进行文化敏感的概念化，以解决 ACE 人群中寻求心理健康帮助不足的问题。
