Ethnic minority membership and depression in the UK and America

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Holttum
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Older People ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss two recent studies on depression in members of ethnic minorities, one based in the UK with older people, and one in the USA. The aim was to examine what might lead to depression in these groups, and what might protect people from it. Design/methodology/approach The UK-based study examined depression and physical health in older members of the two largest ethnic minority groups in the UK: African Caribbean and South Asian. The US-based study examined whether a sense of belonging to the population group African Americans protected people from depression, as one social theory might predict, or whether racism prevented this protection, as predicted by another theory. Findings In London-based older South Asians, depression was explained by their poorer physical health compared to white Europeans. In older people of black Caribbean origin, depression was linked to their social disadvantage. The researchers did not measure people’s experience of discrimination, and other research suggests this can explain both physical illness and depression. The US-based study reported better well-being for people who identified with other African Americans, but not if they also felt negative about African Americans. However, these were weak links, so other things may affect well-being more, such as day-to-day relationships and a range of group memberships. Originality/value The London-based study was new in studying depression in older people belonging to the two largest ethnic minority groups in the UK and in white Europeans. The US study tested two competing social theories with different predictions about depression in relation to belonging to an ethnic minority. Both studies highlight the need for more research on discrimination and how to reduce it and its negative effects on both mental and physical health.

scholarly journals Contemporary ethnic minority entrepreneurship in the UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1410-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Daniel ◽  
Andrew Henley ◽  
Muhammad Naveed Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Ethnic minority entrepreneurs (EMEs) are traditionally associated with lower growth industry sectors. The purpose of this paper is to draw on the theory of mixed embeddedness to determine if more recent EMEs have been able to break out of lower growth sectors and if break out varies across ethnic minority groups. It also compares entrepreneurial quality in terms of weekly hours worked, weekly earnings and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative inferential statistical analysis is undertaken on data drawn from the large scale, social sciences data set for the UK, Understanding Society. Findings The study finds that break out is not associated with being a recent EME but does vary across ethnic minority groups. Break out is found to be associated with gender, education, English language proficiency and occupational status. Some variation in entrepreneurial quality is found for both recent EMEs and across ethnic minority groups. Practical implications Understanding the nature and quality of ethnic minority entrepreneurship is important since it informs public debate about migration, informs policy and shapes activities of future EMEs. Originality/value The study provides a theoretically grounded interpretation of the explanatory variables associated with EME break out and entrepreneurial quality. Second, it provides a large confirmatory study of break out and finally, it also finds an important empirical nuance to the concept of opportunity structure by identifying a variation over time in both external and socio-demographic factors.

Intersectionality, mental health and Chinese people in the UK: a qualitative exploration

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Tang ◽  
David Pilgrim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Ethnic Minority Group ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide qualitative evidence from the experience of Chinese service users in the UK to expand the literature on the use of intersectionality analysis in research on the mental health of ethnic minority groups. Design/methodology/approach Repeated in-depth life-history interviews were carried out with 22 participants. Interviews were analysed using the constant comparative method. Findings Four areas of life are identified for their possible negative impact on mental health for this minority group: labour market and work conditions, marriage and family, education, and ageing. The findings illustrate how these intersecting variables may shape the social conditions this ethnic minority group face. For this ethnic minority group in the UK, inequalities can intersect at national as well as transnational level. Originality/value This paper highlights how power relations and structural inequalities including class, gender, age and ethnicity could be drawn upon to understand the interplay of determinants of mental health for ethnic minority groups. As the multi-factorial social forces are closely related to the emergence of poor mental health, it is suggested that interventions to reduce mental health problems in ethnic minority communities should be multi-level and not limited to individualised service responses.

scholarly journals Community-centred interventions for improving public mental health among adults from ethnic minority populations in the UK: a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e041102
Author(s):  
Cleo Baskin ◽  
Geiske Zijlstra ◽  
Mike McGrath ◽  
Caroline Lee ◽  
Fiona Helen Duncan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Minority Populations ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Ethnic Minority Populations ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Intervention Description

ObjectivesUndertake a scoping review to determine the effectiveness of community-centred interventions designed to improve the mental health and well-being of adults from ethnic minority groups in the UK.MethodsWe searched six electronic academic databases for studies published between January 1990 and September 2019: Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Scopus, CINAHL and Cochrane. For intervention description and data extraction we used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and Template for Intervention Description and Replication guide. Quality was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias tools. Grey literature results were deemed beyond the scope of this review due to the large number of interventions and lack of available outcomes data.ResultsOf 4501 studies, 7 met the eligibility criteria of UK-based community interventions targeting mental health in adults from ethnic minority populations: four randomised controlled trials, one pre/post-pilot study, one cross-sectional study and one ethnographic study. Interventions included therapy-style sessions, peer-support groups, educational materials, gym access and a family services programme. Common components included a focus on tackling social isolation, using lay health workers from within the community, signposting and overcoming structural barriers to access. Four studies reported a statistically significant positive effect on mental health outcomes and six were appraised as having a high risk of bias. Study populations were ethnically heterogeneous and targeted people mainly from South Asia. No studies examined interventions targeting men.ConclusionsThere is a paucity of high-quality evidence regarding community-centred interventions focused on improving public mental health among ethnic minority groups. Decision makers need scientific evidence to inform effective approaches to mitigating health disparities. Our next steps are to map promising community activities and interventions that are currently being provided to help identify emerging evidence.

scholarly journals Ethnic Minority Groups’ Experiences of Suicide Bereavement: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11860
Author(s):  
Pauline Rivart ◽  
Verity Wainwright ◽  
Sandra Flynn ◽  
Isabelle M. Hunt ◽  
Jenny Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Mental Health Awareness ◽  
Suicide Bereavement ◽  
The Uk

It is estimated that between 36,000 and 360,000 people are affected by suicide every year in the UK, and a proportion may develop depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, or engage in high-risk behaviours. Recent systematic analyses have revealed a clear gap in research on suicide bereavement in minority ethnic groups. This study aimed to understand the experiences and support needs of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds bereaved by suicide and was the first in the UK to investigate this matter. The study was a secondary analysis of data. Participants were 7158 people residing in the UK who completed an online survey about their experiences of suicide. Free-text qualitative responses of 227 participants who did not identify as White British were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: maladaptive coping strategies, emotional processes following suicide, lack of support from agencies, and the importance of mental health awareness. Ethnic minority groups reported a lack of support despite attempts to engage with services, noted the prevalence of stigma within ethnic minority groups, and expressed a need to tackle this. These preliminary results suggest that ethnic minority individuals require visible and accessible services that can successfully engage with and support them.

scholarly journals Ancient Ways in Current Days: Ethno-Cultural Arts and Acculturation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Stephen H. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Arts Participation ◽  
Cultural Arts ◽  
Traditional Arts

<p>This research investigates the benefits of traditional/ethnic arts participation on well-being for immigrant and ethnic minority groups. While arts programs are increasingly seen as beneficial, little empirical evidence exists to support this belief, especially regarding ethnic groups in cross-cultural transition and multicultural environments. Three phases of research were undertaken, the first being qualitative, followed by two quantitative studies. Study 1 was a qualitative research into feelings of migrant and minority artists about how their arts practices affected their lives and acculturation processes. Practitioners from a number of ethno-cultural groups of both traditional and contemporary/Western arts were included to determine whether there were differences in effects of practices between those categories. Several broad themes emerged specific to the traditional/ethnic arts category, providing strong evidence for distinction between ethnic and contemporary/Western arts in effect for ethnic peoples: Cultural knowledge, the learning of cultural history, behaviours, and mores, Connectedness, the feeling of connection to family, peers, and community, as well as to other ethnic communities, Ethnic identity development, the sense of belongingness and meaning arising from ethno-cultural group membership. Study 2 examined data from longitudinal study of New Zealand youth (Youth Connectedness Project), specifically addressing differences based on arts participation for Maori and Pasifika (Polynesian) youth. Results demonstrated that youth who participated in any arts reported greater connectedness and well-being over those who participated in no arts, and that youth who participated in traditional Polynesian cultural arts had the highest ethnic identity scores. The processes involved were modelled and tested with path modelling. Study 3 was designed to investigate components of ethnic arts practices to understand why and how the improvements in ethnic identity, connectedness, and well-being observed in the previous studies come about. Participants were recruited internationally, from a wide range of ethnicities and arts practices. The outcomes of this study include construction of cross-cultural measure of traditional arts participation factors and a structural equation which models the process by which Well-Being is enhanced. Factors arising in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the scale were centrality, pride, belongingness, and cultural knowledge. In the process model tested, level of traditional/ethnic arts participation positively influenced levels of Connectedness and Ethnic Identity, which both served as mediators between level of traditional arts participation and increased Well-Being outcomes. In summary, these studies demonstrate that there are specific individual and group level benefits from participation in traditional arts for members of ethnic cultures and their communities. These benefits operate through enhancement of ethnic identity and connectedness, which in turn positively influence well-being outcomes. The results suggest that public support of such arts and programs which include such arts would lead to better adaptation outcomes for immigrant and ethnic minority groups.</p>

scholarly journals Mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups during critical care: a qualitative ethnographic study

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e014075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Lima Van Keer ◽  
Reginald Deschepper ◽  
Luc Huyghens ◽  
Johan Bilsen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Mental Well Being

ObjectivesTo investigate the state of the mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups and possible related risk factors for the development of mental health problems among these patients during critical medical situations in hospital.DesignQualitative ethnographic design.SettingOneintensive care unit (ICU) of a multiethnic urban hospital in Belgium.Participants84 ICU staff members, 10 patients from ethnic-minority groups and their visiting family members.ResultsPatients had several human basic needs for which they could not sufficiently turn to anybody, neither to their healthcare professionals, nor to their relatives nor to other patients. These needs included the need for social contact, the need to increase comfort and alleviate pain, the need to express desperation and participate in end-of-life decision making. Three interrelated risk factors for the development of mental health problems among the patients included were identified: First, healthcare professionals’ mainly biomedical care approach (eg, focus on curing the patient, limited psychosocial support), second, the ICU context (eg, time pressure, uncertainty, regulatory frameworks) and third, patients’ different ethnocultural background (eg, religious and phenotypical differences).ConclusionsThe mental state of patients from ethnic minority groups during critical care is characterised by extreme emotional loneliness. It is important that staff should identify and meet patients’ unique basic needs in good time with regard to their mental well-being, taking into account important threats related to their own mainly biomedical approach to care, the ICU’s structural context as well as the patients’ different ethnocultural background.

scholarly journals Constructing im/migrants and ethnic minority groups as ‘carriers of disease’: Power effects of categorization practices in tuberculosis health reporting in the UK and Germany

Ethnicities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-534
Author(s):  
Hella von Unger ◽  
Penelope Scott ◽  
Dennis Odukoya
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Health Reporting ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Core Feature ◽  
The Uk

Migration- and ethnicity-related categories are a core feature of public health systems internationally, particularly in health reporting on communicable infectious diseases. The specific categories and classifications used differ from country to country and are subject to controversy and change. The article compares categorization practices in health reporting in the UK and Germany with regard to tuberculosis. Tuberculosis has been framed as a ‘migrants’ disease’ in recent decades and new categories were introduced to collect and report epidemiological data. We reconstruct the genesis, change and power effects of categories related to im/migrants and ethnic minority groups. In both countries, migration-related categorizations entail constructions of im/migrants as ‘carriers of disease’. However, the categories also connect with discourses on human rights, prevention, treatment and care for migrants as vulnerable groups. While this ambivalent role of migration-related categories is not unique to health statistics, the potential contribution to processes of ‘othering’ and politics of exclusion seem particularly imminent in the context of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. Ethnicity categories used in the UK, but not in Germany, also contribute to othering through racialization and culturalization, yet at the same time provide opportunities for community participation in the discourse.

Myanmar peace process could collapse post-2020

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Peace Process ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Third ◽  
China And India ◽  
National League

Significance The meeting, which will be the third in the process so far, has been delayed due to disagreements among ethnic minority groups, including ethnic minority armed groups (EMAGs). Myanmar’s next general election is due in 2020, when State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) will be seeking to retain control of the civilian portion of government. Impacts While ongoing violence may dissuade Western investors, China and India will see opportunity rather than risk in Myanmar. China will encourage EMAGs to negotiate peace. Myanmar military personnel will face US sanctions over attacks on Rohingya Muslims.

scholarly journals An increase in willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the US between October 2020 and February 2021: longitudinal evidence from the Understanding America Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Daly ◽  
Andrew Jones ◽  
Eric Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Sharp Decline ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Longitudinal Sample ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nationally Representative

AbstractBackgroundRecent evidence suggests that willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 has been declining throughout the pandemic and is low among ethnic minority groups.MethodsObservational study using a nationally representative longitudinal sample (N =7,840) from the Understanding America Study (UAS). Changes in the percentage of respondents willing to vaccinate, undecided, or intending to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine were examined over 20 survey waves from April 1 2020 to February 15 2021.ResultsAfter a sharp decline in willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 between April and October 2020 (from 74.0% to 52.7%), willingness to vaccinate increased by 8.1% (p <.001) to 60.8% between October 2020 and February 2021. A significant increase in willingness to vaccinate was observed across all demographic groups examined and Black (15.6% increase) and Hispanic participants (12.1% increase) showed particularly large changes.ConclusionsWillingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 increased in the US from October 2020 to February 2021.Funding statementN/A

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