A qualitative exploration into how UK Pakistani male immigrants deal with personal problems and stresses in everyday life

There is considerable research to suggest that South Asians residing in the United Kingdom have comparatively low rates of mental health service utilization. Whilst several possible explanations have been offered by researchers, including lack of available information, language barriers, and variations in help-seeking behaviour, existing studies have yielded inconclusive and contradictory results. Many of these have primarily employed culturally heterogeneous samples of South Asians, thereby failing to take into consideration distinct inter-cultural variations in terms ofl anguage, history, migration patterns, religious and cultural practices, and acculturation. Additionally, a number of studies have predominantly focused on the experiences of South Asian women, thereby disregarding the perceptions and experiences of South Asian men. A large body of evidence, mainly quantitative in nature, has reported that men delay seeking help for a range of health issues. However, such studies have been criticised for embodying a distinctly white, middle class, Western male perspective of masculinity. Currently, there is a dearth of studies exploring the help-seeking experiences and world views of ethnic minority men. The current study hopes to address these particular gaps in the research. It seeks to give voice to a small, homogenous sample of first-generation Punjabi Pakistani men in order to gain a richer understanding of their coping experiences and how these influence their views and feelings about seeking psychological support. A qualitative approach was adopted. Seven first-generation, Punjabi Pakistani immigrant males (n = 7) aged between 21 and 35 were interviewed using semi-structured interviews.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

other

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

London Metropolitan University

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Mahmood, Zakia Jabeen

• 360 Social problems & services; associations

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

N/A

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.londonmet.ac.uk:7486