Abstract
Introduction
Late presentation and low utilization of mental health services are common among Chinese populations. An understanding of their journey towards mental health care helps to identify timely and appropriate intervention.
Aim
We aimed to examine how Chinese populations make sense of the experiences of mental distress, and how this understanding influences their pathways to mental health care.
Method
We undertook in-depth interviews with fourteen people with mental health problems (MHPs) and sixteen family members. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data.
Results/Discussions
Different conceptualization of mental distress and the stigma attached to MHPs explained why most participants accessed services at crisis points. Because of mental illness stigma, they were reluctant to seek help outside of the family. Participants used a pragmatic pluralistic approach to incorporate ritual healing and Western interventions to manage mental distress as they travelled further on the pathway journey. Families play a key role in the journey and are prepared to visit different parts of the world to seek traditional healers.
Implications for practice
Mental health nurses need to adopt a transcultural working approach to address mental health issues so that family will get the support needed to continue their caring role.
Late presentation and low utilization of mental health services are common among Chinese populations. An understanding of their journey towards mental health care helps to identify timely and appropriate intervention.
Aim
We aimed to examine how Chinese populations make sense of the experiences of mental distress, and how this understanding influences their pathways to mental health care.
Method
We undertook in-depth interviews with fourteen people with mental health problems (MHPs) and sixteen family members. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data.
Results/Discussions
Different conceptualization of mental distress and the stigma attached to MHPs explained why most participants accessed services at crisis points. Because of mental illness stigma, they were reluctant to seek help outside of the family. Participants used a pragmatic pluralistic approach to incorporate ritual healing and Western interventions to manage mental distress as they travelled further on the pathway journey. Families play a key role in the journey and are prepared to visit different parts of the world to seek traditional healers.
Implications for practice
Mental health nurses need to adopt a transcultural working approach to address mental health issues so that family will get the support needed to continue their caring role.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 589-599 |
| Journal | Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Early online date | 31 May 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2017 |
Keywords
- Chinese
- cultural issues
- mental distress
- mental health care
- shame stigma
Access to Document
- Yeung_et_al_How_people_from_chinese_backgrounds_JPMHN_2018
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Yeung EYW, Irvine F, Ng SM, Tsang KMS. How people from Chinese backgrounds make sense of and respond to the experiences of mental distress: Thematic analysis. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2017;24:589–599. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12406, which has been published in final form at 10.1111/jpm.12406. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.