Experiences of caring for a child with mental health difficulties: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of South Asian familial caregivers in the UK

Background: Despite an awareness of significant mental health difficulties (MHD) seen amongst the British South Asian (SA) population, there remains large ethnic disparities in mental health treatment and service utilisation. This may lead to South Asians (SAs) being more likely to support MHD within the family. Despite this, limited research has investigated the experiences of these familial caregivers within a British SA context. Aims: This study explored the experiences of caring for a child with mental health difficulties amongst SA caregivers in the UK. It aimed to understand their views on help-seeking and how they may use aspects of their culture and religion in the way they understand mental health and support their child. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 SA primary caregivers who were currently caring for at least one child aged 5-19 with MHD. Participants were recruited through social media and word-of-mouth. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was conducted to explore the in-depth meaning of participants’ experiences. Results: The analysis revealed three Group Experiential Themes (GETs). GET one, “Leaving the Past in the Dust and Paving a New Path”, described participants difficulties with cultural pressures, the cultural silence around mental health, and their efforts to break away from these norms. GET two, “Navigating the Never-Ending Tunnel of Distress” detailed participants’ efforts to support the child’s mental health and the impacts of doing so. GET three, “Caught in the Tug of War of Support”, portrays the conflicting relationship caregivers experienced with religious and cultural support, as well as their resistance to culturally-inappropriate statutory services. Discussion: The findings suggest the SA experience of making sense of and caring for MHD is complex. The findings emphasise an urgency for culturally sensitive policies and interventions that recognise the various religio-cultural values and needs of SAs with MHD. The findings are discussed in the context of the strengths and limitations of the study and have significant implications for policy, communities, clinical practice, and future research.