Social Researh completed

Social Research

Dissertation Proposal

Social Research


Social Research


Social Research


Social Research


Social Research


Social ResearchDissertation Proposal

(Amal )Almansowri (12014498)Word Count: 5020 (excluding references,

appendices and headings)

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research

Table of ContentsPost-Migration experiences of 1.5 generation Pakistani ethnic

minorities in Bradford........................................

1.1 Introduction...........................................2

2. Literature review.........................................3

2.1 Language barriers......................................3

2.2 Culture, relativism, and the expression of mental

distress...................................................5

2.3 The under-estimation of Psychological distress among UK

South Asian population.....................................8

2.4 Religion and beliefs..................................10

2.5 Summary...............................................14

3. Methodology..............................................15

3.1 Research Questions....................................15

3.2 Sampling..............................................15

3.3 Method................................................16

3.3 Limitations...........................................18

3.4 Ethical Considerations................................18

3.5 Benefits of research..................................19

4. References.............................................20

5. Appendix A.............................................24

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Post-Migration experiences of 1.5 generation

Pakistani ethnic minorities in Bradford

1.1 IntroductionThe purpose of this assignment is to explore the current

literature on mental health distress, in regards to South

Asian groups, with particular reference to the different

generations of British Pakistani’s in the UK. Studies in the

previous two decades have been discussed in order to find a

‘gap’ that is available on an issue that has not been

identified which will then be explored as my topic in my

future research dissertation.

My selection to the literature review will be academic

literature. The articles that I seek to explore are from a

variety of academic Journals such as the Journal of mental

health, international journal of intercultural relation,

sociology of health illness, British journal of medical

psychology and the British Journal of Psychiatry.

There is a vast amount of literature (Cinnirella & Loewenthal,

1999; Nazroo, 1997; Bowes and Domokos, 1996; Fenton and Sadiq-

Sangster, 1996; Williams et al., 1997; Mumford et al., 1991;

Bhui et al., 2008; Dein et al., 2008) within the mental health

field that seeks to examine and understand issues that

contribute to people’s mental distress in this ethnic minority

group in the UK. In order to do this research papers

pertaining to migration and mental health in different

contexts, ethnicities, and generations were obtained.3

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research Additionally, sources related to the theme were searched in

depth.

Taking into consideration the different viewpoints of the

issues amongst generations of British Pakistani’s, and their

experiences prior to migration to the UK,. After exploring the

relationships in the literature, such as if they endured

social circumstance’s trauma, the following literature review

will enable me to select the most relevant and appropriate

research topic. I will then identify the gap that this paper

seeks to address in order for this research to be a valuable

contribution in the 21st century’s knowledge and life cycle.

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2. Literature review Nazroo (1997) found that individuals who migrate tend to

experience multiple stresses that can impact their mental

well-being, including: the loss of cultural norms, religious

customs and social support systems; adjustment to a new

culture; changes in identity; and concept of self (Bhugra and

Becker, 2005). This and other literatures will be explored

within this chapter to identify the impact of mental distress

amongst British Pakistani people. The literature review has

been divided up into four sections which will be discussed in

turn.

2.1 Language barriersMental distress hits millions of people’s lives on a daily

basis. However, it depends on the social and biological

circumstances of the people that it affects. Language and

cultural barriers can have a significant effect on people with

mental health issues as these barriers will limit access to

many support services.

In regards to the British South Asian population, in

particular Pakistani groups, women are often found to be

suffering in silence from depression and anxiety, especially

after giving birth. This can be due to numbers of factors e.g.

the husband’s power and control which may be a part of their

patriarchal culture; being unable to speak or understand the

English Language fluently; having to rely on other people to

speak to healthcare practitioners to translate for them which

5

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research is not easy when wanting to discuss something of a private

nature.

In a study by Bowes and Domokos (1996) the maternity care

issues in women were examined as a result of their muted

voices. Interestingly Bowes and Domokos (1996) used Ardener’s

(1977) concept of muted groups, to explore the potentiality of

an empowering strategy, to raise the muted voices of Pakistani

women in maternity services who can’t speak the English

language. The research was conducted by interviewing nineteen

Muslim Pakistani women using maternity services. Bowes and

Domokos (1996) found that language was major issue for both

service users and health professionals, if the right

interpreter was not provided alongside other appropriate

support. The authors argued that South Asian Pakistani women

will not say what they are expected (stereotypically) to say,

or what the health professionals would like to hear. Therefore

these women are very likely to say the wrong thing

which will lead them to feeling frustrated by the health

system. As a result this may have a negative impact on their

relationship with their babies and families. In addition, this

study explored how service providers sometimes may not

consider the culture and/or religion of such clients in order

to reduce stress and anxiety, and provide the relevant

support. The authors concluded that working with women who

have been systemically silenced is highly problematic, and may

6

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research be a major concern for both the service provider and the

service user.

On the other hand a study by Parsons et al. (1993) emphasised,

in the view of many health professionals, that there is

nothing wrong with the health services being provided. He

highlighted that it is the people with special diets, strange

religious practices, or funny maternity habits who have the

problem. Although Parsons et al. (1993:71) makes a relevant

point a weakness in his conclusion was confirmed years later,

following the introduction of the Equality and Diversity Act

that came into force in 2007. This act places significant new

duties on councils, police, health trusts and other public

bodies. Therefore the recommendations made by Bowes and

Domokos (1996) to provide non English speakers with the

correct support seems to be the most appropriate action to

take. This support can come in the form of interpreters, and

other appropriate resources relevant on their needs following

an understanding of their cultural and religious background

and language barriers.

The above studies therefore shed light into the distress

caused by migration issues for the South Asian population in

regards to the language that people of different cultures use

to express distress. Furthermore the language of emotion can

be somatic as well as psychological which is often

misunderstood in many ways. Williams et al. (1997) further

supports Bowes and Domokos (1996) notion that mental distress

7

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research is largely under-estmated by health professionals due to the

languge and culture’s barriers of ethnic minorities.

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2.2 Culture, relativism, and the expression of mental

distress In relation to the above perspective, there was a great deal

of this literature in social and medical anthropology. Fenton

& Sadiq-Sanger (1996) stated that there may be common elements

in ideas of physical and mental illness relating to the

language, culture, relativism and the expression of mental

distress in South Asian groups, in particular in Pakistani

women. The authors highlighted that although a Universalist

position would argue that forms of mental illness in this

group can be defined and be found in a wide variety of

contexts, a relativist position would claim that categories of

illness are only being understood within the social and the

culture context in which they are found.

The research methods that were utilised in Fenton and Sadiq-

Sanger’s (1996) study were based on qualitative data

collection. The study looked at the relationship between the

language and culture in describing mental distress. It

involved a group of women who came to Britain from urban upper

class Indian and Pakistani families with a rather different

conception of mental health to those from rural, poorer,

villages. It was found that women were suffering in silence

and their beliefs in God were viewed as the only way to prevent

them from thinking of committing suicide despite their silent

pain. Other studies support the findings here (Currer, 1986;

Donovan, 1986; Krause, 1989; Fenton and Sadiq, 1996) and

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Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research question personal constrictions of mental distress among Asian

Population in Britain.

Currer (1986) reported that the Pathan women that were

interviewed saw health & illness, and happiness & unhappiness

as part of the natural order, and as a part of the risk of

living. In this respect and with specific regards to mental

distress, Currer (1986) argues that the profound and

persistent sadness, which possibly corresponded to depression,

was understood within a particular view of hope and

hopelessness in these groups. As these individuals believed

their future is in God’s hands it was something the researcher

could not challenge. The study shows the strengths and

weakness in the Pakistani women who have an understanding of

the context of physical illness, however in relation to mental

distress they suggest that their silence is a part of their

beliefs in God’s hand. Thus, Ineichen (1990) he claim that

psychosomatic illness is not recognised within Asian cultures

and has misplaced

with the notion that the may be expected. Rack (1982), via the

support of the Commission for Racial Equality (1977), stated

that by understanding how people think about their illness,

and by taking into account their culture and religious

viewpoints, it will help in avoiding the creation of unwise

stereotypes.

The above study has provided an overview of Pakistani Muslim

women in Britain and their understandings of mental health,10

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research depression, and medical sociology in terms of culture and

relativism. It can be seen that the misinterpretation of

people’s culture and beliefs, along with the lack of language,

can lead to increased mental distress in silence.

Another issue that literature in this area has brought to

light is individuals diagnosed with depression and anxiety due

to certain life events that took place in their homeland from

which they migrated. These people are still coming to terms

with such trauma (Mumford et al., 1991). This was supported by

the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2000. Moreover, the

strong links between the young and old British Pakistani

generation has also been taken into account by Bolognani

(2007). Bolognani (2007) discusses how first generation

British Pakistani’s have a strong relationship with their

homeland and encourage their children, known as the “second

generation” to develop the same interaction to maintain

religious and cultural ties to their original homeland.

Mumford et al. (1991), in a report conducted for The Bradford

Somatic Inventory, supports this notion by suggesting that

first generation ethnic minorities, who lived in urban slum

areas in Pakistan before they migrated, maintain strong links

with extended family that still live abroad.

In terms of understanding the stress and psychiatric disorders

in people who migrated from urban slum areas in Pakistan to

the UK, Mumford et al. (1991) carried out research comparing

British Pakistani’s resident in the UK to Pakistani’s residing

in Pakistan. Mumford et al. (1991) has developed his study via

11

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research a comparison of a symptoms report by psychiatric patients in

Pakistan and Britain with clinical diagnoses of anxiety and

depression. As the research considered the socio-economic

issues it is based on both women and men living in Pakistan in

joint households in slum areas as per the demographics of the

UK based Pakistani’s prior to their migration into the UK in

hope for an improved life. In conclusion to this study Mumford

et al. (1991) found very high rates of common mental distress

disorders, especially among women. This was a result of the

power men had over women as the male is seen as the head of

the household and the breadwinner within the Pakistani

Culture. Similar patterns were found in women who migrated to

the UK and were struggling emotionally from their previous

experiences in Pakistan. Nevertheless, on a socio-economic

level, their lifestyles were improved following their move to

the UK, yet the male still played a huge part in the females’

life in terms of controlling her basic freedom.

From these findings one can come to understand that the

Pakistani culture, and the socio-economic status of poverty

when these individuals were living in Pakistan, played a

significant role in the mental distress of women. These

factors can be greatly misdiagnosed by health professionals

her in the UK, especially if the women use the language of

emotions to avoid the embarrassment in their lack of

understanding and speaking the English language. The

literature identified here has also found that levels of

emotional distress amongst those who came from the poor

12

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research district of Rawalpindi are less than half those who came from

rural villages in Punjab.

Contrary to the above findings, Sheikh and Furnham (2000)

argued that culture is not a significant predictor of

attitudes towards seeking professional help. They compared

South Asian British Muslims and Western non Muslims and as a

result of the study they claimed that all people who seek help

from health professionals should treated the same. This is a

weak argument as the authors failed to acknowledge the

barriers that ethnic minorities face prior to seeking the help

of health professionals.

Overall it was interesting to identify the type of social

factors and socio-economic statuses of those who migrated to

the UK and still have a great deal of anxiety and distress.

These factors are significant, although they can easily be

misunderstood by many health professionals, as language and

culture play enormous part in communicating properly with

people.

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2.3 The under-estimation of Psychological distress among

UK South Asian populationThis section elaborates what has been explained and found in

the above literature in relation to misunderstanding the

language of emotions within Pakistani Muslim women in the UK.

A study to determine the under-estimation of the Psychological

distress in south Asians women in the UK was carried out by

Williams et al. (1997). The study included 159 South Asian

women aged 30-40 years old and 319 women from the general

population, all aged 35 years and consisted of a quantitative

psychosomatic measure and a self-report measure. Williams et

al. (1997) argued that the pattern of psychological distress

amongst ethnic minorities in the UK has long shown a

remarkable exception, especially with those with inherited

South Asian origin comprising Indian, Pakistani and

Bangladeshi women. High rates of psychiatric admission amongst

other ethnic minorities contrasted with low rates amongst

South Asians in the UK. This indicates that a very small

number of South Asian ethnic minorities seek healthcare

support when suffering from mental distress and anxiety.

As a result, Williams et al. (1997) stated that the distress

of South Asian minorities may be under-estimated. Their

argument came as a result of the technical methods used in

their research, in which the conclusion pointed out the under-

estimation of mental distress amongst some subgroups, for

example in Muslims. The authors concerns further suggested

that mental health issues are misinterpreted by some

14

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research psychiatrists and other health professionals due to ignorance

towards these minorities resilient journey from their home

country to the UK, as well as language barrier and cultural

differences.

In light of the above findings it is suggested that indirect

discrimination in the mental health service needs to be

carefully looked at to consider reasonable adjustment in

communicating with ethnic minorities groups such as the South

Asian Muslim, as these groups face a great deal of mental

distress in reference to their social circumstance and the

lack of communication with the health services in the UK. More

specifically the study by William et al. (1997) is quiet

strong in terms of the suggestions that were made to improve

the mental health services for ethnic

minorities. Nevertheless it was not clear whether the study

considered future research to explore similar experiences

amongst South Asian men as well as women and furthermore, the

first generation (1G and 1.5 Generation) South Asian minority

in the UK.

2.4 Religion and beliefsAbove, we have discussed the literature reviews that raised

the language and cultural issue within South Asian ethnic

minorities in particular the Pakistani group. This literature

review will now continue by exploring literature on the

beliefs and religion of ethnic minorities.

15

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research Bhui and King et al. (2008) stated that religous coping was

most commonly practiced by South Asian Muslims and African

Carribean Christians. This includes prayer, listening to

religious radio, talking to God, and having a trust a

relationship with God. Therefore cultural or spiritual coping

pracitces were impossible to be recongnised especailly in

Muslim believers.

Furthermore, Cinnirella and Loewenthal (1999) conducted a

study on mental illness using a qualitative thematic analysis

of open-ended interviews. The participants were all females

from the following urban-dwelling religious groups: White

Christian, Pakistani Muslim, Indian Hindu, Orthodox Jewish and

Afro-Caribbean. The purpose of this study was to find out if

each religious group would seek help from the health

professionals when seeking to understand the meaning of

depression and schizophrenia, and how they currently make a

use of the mental health service. The authors questioned:

perceptions of the symptoms of depression; the ideas in

regards to the cause of depression, including personality

disorder and religious practices; and ideas in regards to

possible treatment for depression, including drugs,

professional help, religious beliefs and practices.

The respondents from all groups pointed out that personal

dispositions, stressful life events or coping with difficult

social circumstances, such as the weather and loss of sleep

might be all related to depression. However, in relation in

coping with this or making a use of the mental health there

16

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research was greater heterogeneity between the groups. Some of them,

such as the Pakistani Muslim women, Hindu individuals and

the Afro-Caribbean’s preferred to have support from family and

friends. They suggested that removal of environmental

stressors would facilitate the recovery.

However the White Christians and Orthodox Jewish would make

use of the mental health service in addition to getting

support from family and friends. Their beliefs about

schizophrenia were more heterogeneous, with respondents being

rather reluctant to forward their own ideas. Once they had

been diagnosed with schizophrenia, these groups were keen to

make use of the services available to them while the Pakistani

Muslim women, Hindu’s and a percentage of the Afro- Caribbeans

believed that prayer would help. Although this study showed

that in general the participants emphasised their awareness of

schizophrenia being a serious illness, they did not all agree

on seeking support from health care professionals.

Of those who preferred to receive support, the Pakistani

Muslim group preferred to have a mental health professional

from the same religion and ethnic group. They felt it would be

beneficial for them as a patient and for their issues to be

understood. Nevertheless they were concerned that their mental

illness would be leaked back to the community, resulting in

stigma and embarrassment to their families. Therefore the case

was quite difficult for the Pakistani Muslim women and their

suggestion was that approaching a religious and trusted person17

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research to help them to read a text from the “Qur’an” will help them

to better cope with their illness and avoid any thought of

stigma within their community.

This literature, amongst others (Ball, 1995; Mitchell, 1995;

Takeuchi & Sue, 1995; Zane et al., 1994), has provided useful

insights into the lay beliefs on mental health by different

ethnic-religious groups, which can be used in formulating

sensitive mental health service provision to many communities.

In addition, this literature can be supportive in suggesting

possible social psychological bases for differences in

referral rates (Roberts and Cawthorpe, 1995). It further helps

to understand the behaviours of these groups, when seeking

help from health professionals, (Ying, 1990) in dealing with

shame, embarrassment and the stigmas within their community.

To investigate further into the beliefs and religion of the

South Asian Muslim community in the UK, Dein et al. (2008) has

examined the meaning of the mental illness in relation to the

notion of misfortune (Jinn or Spirits) to identify the contribution

to mental distress factors in South Asian’s. The study

conducted on 40 members of the most deprived and economically

poor community in East London where Bangladeshi and Pakistani

people are residents. The study was carried out by

interviewing the second and third generation who were educated

by western standard are British born. It was found that the

use of the ‘folk healer’, who can sometimes be the ‘Imam’ of

the Mosque, was encouraged by the elderly or ‘first

18

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research generation’ who came from villages in Pakistan. It is not seen

as important for this generation to visit the mental health

service as their insistence comes from their beliefs in the

misfortune (Jinn or Spirits) more than its mental illness. This

particular issue of religious beliefs was further supported in

another study by Bhui et al. (2008).

In understanding the thoughts on mental illness within the

first generation, Rippin (2005) cites Halliburton (2005) who

suggested that ‘modernity and modernization are vague ‘taken for granted’

terms that relate to complex system of discourses, philosophies, economic trends

and historical contingencies’ (p.177). While Rippin (2005) argues ‘that

the terms at best are generalizations that do not reflect the realities of the world as

is lived, they are intellectual abstractions, which can, if used reflectively, aid

understanding’ (Rippin, 2005:177).

Thus, it is understood from the above mentioned studies that

the role of ‘Jinn’ among the first generation in the Pakistani

community, who experienced racism, deprivation, poor health

provisions and cultural misunderstandings (in relation to

contacting the statutory services), has not been fully

understood and appreciated by the wider society. Therefore,

explanations of misfortune are prevalent within this community,

and the methods used to cope with mental distress,

psychological disturbance and unexplained physical symptoms

are all relative to this finding.

Furthermore, this research has highlighted the significant

role the first generation play within the Pakistani community

in terms of understanding mental distress issues based on

19

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research their cultural beliefs, lack of education, past experiences

from their home

country before they migrated to the UK, the rejection from the

British society, and the poor economical state that they have

survived in. All these factors have contributed to this

generation building a natural barrier in accessing the

statuary health service.

Nevertheless, Bolognani (2007) argue that the relationship

between first generation British Pakistani’s in the UK to

their homeland in Pakistan has influenced their views on many

factors. Bolognani (2007) further adds that this attachment is

now being passed to their children of a second a third

generation. Her argument comes from the fact that the parents

of the second generation are keen to take their children on

holiday to build this relationship and have the same thoughts

and feeling about their ‘homeland’ and the culture within it.

This gives the impression that the first generation are

somehow emotionally lost in the British society, therefore are

keen to teach their children how to keep their religious and

cultural teachings while educating them by Western standards.

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2.5 SummaryIn light of the above, the current study will integrate the

findings of the above studies that consider the religion,

beliefs and cultural teachings of Pakistani Muslims. Such

findings will enable the researcher to bear in mind the under

estimation of these individuals background when considering

the types of support available to them. There is much

information on first and second generation ethnic minorities,

however one thing that has been missing from all the

literature viewed so far is the mention of experiences of 1.5

generation Pakistani ethnic minorities.

Where the first generation involves individuals that migrated

to the UK during adulthood, with many difficulties to face

such as language barriers, the 1.5 generation is a group of

individuals that were born in Pakistan but migrated to the UK

during their early childhood or adolescent life. This would

provide these individuals with a cultural upbringing in the

West and they will not face certain barriers such as language.

Therefore, are the cultural differences found in the first

generation also prevalent in 1.5 Generation Pakistani’s? Are

1.5 generation Pakistani’s facing difficulties in accessing

support to cope with mental distress due to their cultural

differences and religious beliefs? If so, then what are the

factors that contribute to the anxieties of 1.5 generation

Pakistani ethnic minorities? These questions remain unanswered

across the literature explored, with a majority of mental

health and distress literature maintaining a particular focus

21

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research on first generation ethnic minorities and the pressure they

enforce onto second generation ethnic minorities.

It is possible that the first generation and 1.5 generation

ethnic minorities have not been considered to have different

life experiences. However, the differences play a part in

shaping their experiences as ethnic minorities, as would be

for British born ethnic minorities. Therefore the current

study will attempt to explore the experiences of 1.5

Generation ethnic minorities with mental distress.

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3. Methodology

3.1 Research QuestionsIn light of the literature review in the previous chapter the

current dissertation will address the following tentatively

related research questions:

How do 1.5 Generation Pakistani ethnic minorities in

Bradford cope with mental distress?

o Do the experiences of 1.5 Generation Pakistani

ethnic minorities follow similar patterns to those

identified in previous literature focussing on first

generation ethnic minorities?

What are the factors that lead to mental distress in 1.5

Generation ethnic minorities?

o Do their differences to the earlier generation, such

as being able to speak the English language more

fluently, improve their experiences in accessing

support from healthcare professionals?

3.2 SamplingDue to the nature of this study the sampling method is

important to collect the data from the relevant people.

Therefore the researcher will use a snowball sampling method.

Being a temporary resident in Bradford with access to the

Pakistani community the researcher plans to interview a few

people recommended by friends in the local community that fit

23

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research the criteria of being 1.5 Generation Pakistani ethnic

minorities. The researcher will then ask these interviewees to

recommend other 1.5 Generation Pakistani’s and so on until the

maximum number has been reached.

24


3.3 MethodIn order to address the above questions it is important to

determine the most appropriate method to use. Burnett (2009)

described quantitative methods as being able to address large

data so more people can participate. Alternatively as

supported by Miles and Huberman (1994), Bullock (2007) argues

that quantitative methods when used can be objective and it

may miss related details. However, Silverman (2000) argues

that disengagement, objectivity and detachment could be

considered as being unsuccessful in gaining access to people’s

community and culture which is crucial to understand their

real issues.

Therefore, as the current research plans to explore the

nuances of how people think and feel it will be much more

useful to utilise qualitative methods. It was found those

researchers that carried out a qualitative data analysis

gained much more insight into the topic and the reasons behind

the issues being highlighted. Whereas the small amount of

articles that carried out quantitative data, and used

statistical analysis, provided little space for interpretation

outside the dimensions set by the data collection method.

In light of the above it is important to decide which

qualitative method will be most appropriate. As qualitative

data collection methods are often criticised for their

subjectivity, and this research plans to collect as much rich

data as possible without any preconceptions passing onto

ethnic minorities it is important to have an unstructured data

25

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research collection method, allowing participants to provide

information that they feel most comfortable with discussing.

For this reason an open ended interview method will be adopted

with prompts, allowing the interviewee to talk about their

memories of their experiences of migrating and settling in the

UK by guiding with open questions such as ‘tell me about your

experience of first moving to the UK’. This will cover a wide

area such as: education and employment; family life; any

significant events such as marriage and having children; and

any high and low points that particularly stand out in their

lives.

Unstructured interviews are difficult to make notes for during

the interview. Firstly, important detail can easily be missed

and secondly interviewees will be talking about

things that are close to their heart therefore it is important

for the interviewer to look like they are paying attention and

interested. Therefore, permission will be taken from

interviewees in advance to record the interviews. These

recordings will also make it easier for myself, the

researcher, to later transcribe and analyse interviews without

the issue of missing relevant information.

As the researcher plans to carry out unstructured in depth

interviews, only a small number of 8 interviews, lasting

between 45minutes and 1.5 hours, will be carried out. The data

will be transcribed manually by myself and NVIVO will be used

as a tool to then code and analyse the data using a grounded26

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research theory approach (Saunders et al., 2003). However, it will not

be used as a complete methodology due to the time constraints.

Nevertheless grounded theory data analysis follows a

comprehensive process which is appealing for the novice

researcher.

The basic idea of a grounded theory data analysis is to read

and re-read the interview transcripts until similar themes and

sub themes begin to emerge. Following this, a theory will be

generated based on the significant common themes found within

the data.

27


3.3 LimitationsAs the interview is unstructured it may be that there is much

more data collected then is relevant to the research

questions. I will therefore make an effort to ignore such

additional data as there is a limited timeframe in which to

complete the proposed project. Nevertheless, If necessary I

will add such information into future recommendations for

further research.

In addition the limited word count may cause a difficulty in

discussing all themes in depth. However the focus will be to

prioritise any data and themes that are most relevant in

addressing the research questions.

3.4 Ethical ConsiderationsInitially, when carrying out any research that involves people

there is a number of ethical considerations to make. First of

all anonymity and confidentiality should be considered. As the

interviews will be tape recorded anonymity cannot be offered

as the interviewees voices will be recorded, however complete

confidentiality will be provided (see Appendix A).

Interviewees will also be made aware prior to and after the

interview of their right to withdraw at any time without

having to provide a reason. This will take any pressure of

participants who may feel obliged to participate.

As explained by Miller and Brewer (2003), when asking

participants to provide information of a sensitive nature it

may cause them upset or distress. Although the interviewer

28

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research will not specifically ask them about issues of mental

distress, there will be questions asking interviewees to

highlight the high and low points in their lives. This may

reveal any episodes of distress. If this happens I will

consider it my duty to ask participants if they want to take a

break or stop the interview, to start again another time. I

will also remind them of their right to withdraw.

Ethical issues are very important to correctly address

therefore full ethics approval will be requested before

collecting any data.

3.5 Benefits of researchFinally I hope for this research to be beneficial, in both

theory and practice, to the wider community, such as 1.5

Generation Pakistani’s and ethnic minorities, as well as being

a valuable and new contribution to the field of mental health

studies as it is fills a gap in this area, hence a win-win

situation.

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4. References Ball, P. (1995). Mental Health and Ethnicity Training

Programme. North West London Mental Health NHS Trust.

Bhugra, D. and Becker, M. A. (2005) Migration, Cultural Bereavement and Cultural Identity. World Psychiatry. Vol.4 No.1, pp. 18-24.

Bhui, K.,King, M., Dein, S. and O’Conner, W. (2008) Ethnicity and religious coping with mental distress. Journal of Mental Health, Vol.17 No.2, pp.141-151.

Bolognani, M. (2007) The Myth of Return: Dismissal, Survival or Revival? A Bradford Example of Transnationalism as a political instrument. Ethnic & Migration studies Journal, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 59-76.

Bowes, A. M. and Domokos, T. M. (1996) Pakistani women and maternity care: Raising muted voices. Sociology of Health & Illness, Vol.18, No.1, pp 45-65.

Bullock, J. (2007). A Handbook of Management Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide to Achieving Managerial Excellence and Improved Decision Making (3rd Edition). Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 28, No.4, pp.376-378.

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Burnett, J. (2009). Doing your Social Science Dissertation. London: Sage Publications.

Cinnirella, M. and Loewenthal, K. M. (1999) Religious andethnic group influences on beliefs about mental illness. British journal of Medical psychology Vol. 72, pp.505-524.

Currer, C. (1986) Concepts of mental well- and ill-being:the case of Pathan mothers in Britain. In Currer, C. and Stacey, M. (eds) Concepts of Health, Illness and Disease:a comparative perspective. Leamington Spa: Berg

Dein, S. Alexander, M. and Napier, A. D. (2008) Jinn, Psychiatry and Contested Notion of Misfortune among SouthAsian Bangaladish. Transcultural Psychiatry: Unversity College London, Vol.45 No.1, pp.31-55.

Dein, S. Alan, L. C. H. and Loewenthal, K.M. (2011) Psychiatrists views on the place of religion in psychiatry. Journal of Mental Health, Religion & Culture,Vol.14, pp1-8.

Donovan, J. (1986) We Don't Buy Sickness: It Just Comes. Aldershot: Gower.

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Fenton, S. and Sadiq-Sangster, A. (1996) Culture, relativism and the expression of mental distress: South Asian women in Britain. Sociology of Health & Illness, vol.18 No.1, pp 66-85.

Halliburton, M. (2005) ‘Just some spirits’: The erosion of spirit possession and the rise of ‘tension’ in South India. Medical Anthropology, Vol.24, pp.111–144.

Ineichen, B. (1990) The mental health of Asians in Britain. British Medical Journal, 30 June: 1670.

Krause, I.B. (1989) Sinking heart: a Punjabi communication of distress. Social Science and Medicine, Vol.29 No.4, pp.563-7.

Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook. London: Sage Publications.

Miller, R.L. and Brewer, J.D. (2003). The A-Z of Social Research.London: Sage Publications.

Mitchell, F. (1995). Reviewof Loewenthal:Mental Health and Religion. Professional Social Work, Vol.16.

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Mumford, D. B., Tareen, I. A., Baiwa, M. A., Bhatti, M. R. And Karim, R. (1991) The translation and evaluation of an Urdu version of the Hospital Anxiety and DepressionScale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Vol.83, pp.81–85.

Nazroo, J. (1997) Ethnicity and Mental Health. London: PSI.

Rack, P. (1982) Race Culture and Mental Disorder. London:Tavistock.

Rippin, A. (2005). Muslims: Their religious behaviour andpractices. London: Routledge.

Roberts, N. and Cawthorpe, D. (1995) Immigrant child and adolescent psychiatric referrals: A 5-year retrospective study of Asian and Caucasian families. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol.40, pp.252–256.

Sue, S., Sue, D.W., Sue, L., & Takeuchi, D.T. (1995) Psychopathology among Asian Americans. Cultural Diversity and Mental Health, Vol.1, pp.39-54.

Sheikh, S. & Furnham, A (2000) Across-culture study of mental health beliefs and attitudes towards seeking

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professional help. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, No. 35, pp.326-334.

Silverman, D. (2000). Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook. London: Sage Publications.

Williams, D.R., Yu, Y., and Jackson, J. S. (1997) Racial Differences in Physical and Mental Health. Socio-economic Status, Stress and Discrimination, Vol.2 No.3, pp.335-351.

Ying, Y. W. (1990) Explanatory models of major depressionand implications for help-seeking among immigrant Chinese-American women. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, Vol.14,pp.393–408.

Zane, N., Hatanka, H., Park, S. & Akatsu, P. (1994). Ethnic-speci �c mental health services. Journal of Community Psychology, Vol.22, pp.68–81.

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5. Appendix A

CONSENT FORM

Name of Researcher: Faateema (Amal )Almansowri

Title of Project: Post-Migration experiences of 1.5 generationPakistani ethnic minorities in Bradford.

Thank you for considering taking part in an interview as partof the current research. I would be grateful if you would readthe following questions and indicate your response to each ofthem. The purpose of this is to ensure that you are fullyaware of the purpose of the research and that you are willingto take part.

1. I have been informed about the purpose of the study andhave had the opportunity to ask questions about it if Iwished YES/NO

2. I understand that I can withdraw from the study at anystage, without giving a reason and that my data will notbe included in the research YES/NO

3. I understand that I am free to choose not to answer aquestion without giving a reason why

YES/NO4. I am aware that the interview will be tape-recorded and I

give my consent for this recording. YES/NO

5. I understand that extracts from the recording might bepublicised later.

YES/NO

6. I understand that if extracts from the recording areused, the researcher will remove all identifyinginformation about my organisation and me. My identifyinginformation will remain anonymous. YES/NO

35

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research 7. I confirm that I have not been involved in a similar study

in the past 6 months.

YES/NO

I give my consent to take part in the research.

Participant

Signed ………………………… Date ……………..

NAME IN BLOCK LETTERS … …………………………………….

ResearcherSigned ………………………… Date……………..

NAME IN BLOCK LETTERS … …………………………………….

Date …………………………………………

Name of Researcher: Faateema (Amal) Almansowri

Title of Project: Post-Migration experiences of 1.5 generation

Pakistani ethnic

minorities in Bradford.

36


INFORMATION SHEET (Interviews)

Dear Participant,

You are here to take part in a research study. Before youdecide, it is important for you to understand why the researchis taking place and what it will involve. Please take yourtime to read the following information carefully and discussit with others if you wish. Ask me if there is anything thatis not clear or if you would like more information. Take timeto decide whether you wish to take part.

The aim of the research is to explore the experiences aftermigration of 1.5 Generation Pakistani ethnic minorities inBradford. It is up to you how much information about yourexperiences here in the UK you would like to share.

You are a potential participant because you are a 1.5generation Pakistani ethnic minority and live in Bradford.Bradford is the context that this research will be set in,

37

Name: Faateema Almansowri (Amal)Student No: 12014498Module: Social Research therefore people living in Bradford are most suitable as aparticipant for this research.

It is up to you to decide if you want to take part. If you dodecide to take part, you will keep this information sheet andsign a consent form. If you decide to take part, you are stillfree to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason.

If you agree to take part in the research, I will carry out aninterview with you that will explore your work experiences.Your participation in the tape-recorded interview is likely tolast between 45minutes and 1.5 hours.

All the information given by you during this research will besecure. There will be no identifying material in the report,such as names and addresses, in order to ensure youranonymity. When the report is complete and publicised, yourinformation will remain anonymous and all the information Ihave collected about you will continue to be secure.

If you decide to withdraw your data from the study afterparticipation, you can contact me directon [email protected]. Or [email protected] Please note that you can dothis until 30th July 2013 after which I will have alreadywritten up the report.

If you require any more information about the research, pleasecontact me to discuss the details further. Thank you forreading this information sheet and taking part in thisresearch.

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mailto:[email protected]

Social Researh completed

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