Within These Walls: Exploring the Mental Health Experiences of First Generation South Asian Women in Toronto Canada

Abstract

This research paper explores the mental health experiences of first-generation South Asian women in Toronto, Canada. This research paper starts by providing a brief overview of mental health literature from a South Asian perspective. A qualitative narrative methodology is used to explore what mental health experiences are faced by first-generation South Asian women and their experience of accessing support services in Toronto. Three individual interviews were conducted. Participants were provided with an opportunity to share their experiences of what mental health and recovery mean to them, the mental health stressors they face, the different barriers they encounter when accessing mental health services, and coping strategies employed. This research contributes to a broader understanding of mental health within the South Asian communities and how mental health service providers can work towards a more inclusive and culturally responsive practice when supporting South Asian women.

Indian immigrants' constructions of mental health and mental illness in the perinatal period: A qualitative study

“…In another study examining the cultural experience of stigma, the authors found that Indian Australians had a fear of damaging their reputation and social relations and the diagnosis of mental illness will burden older family members (Brijnath & Antoniades, 2018). The fear of being labelled as 'pagal', which is translated to 'crazy' in Hindi language and the fear of being judged, has been discussed by participants in our study: similar to findings in other studies (Atta, 2020;Chahal, 2019).…”

“…A similar lack of trust was described by immigrant mothers in relation to the use of interpreters in a study in Australia (Bonakdar Tehrani et al, 2022). Lack of trust and confidence in healthcare workers were also identified as potential barriers to disclosure among immigrants in other studies (Atta, 2020;Jean-Baptiste et al, 2017;Li et al, 2021). One of our participants expressed concerns about the negative social consequences of disclosure, stating that it can even cause problems in finding a suitable life partner for her children in the future.…”