Introduction
Women’s mental health seems to be a recognized for everyone. South Asian women are described as women originating from the southern region of the Asian continent. A few of the countries are Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and etc (Islam, Khanlou, & Tamim, 2014). Three social determinants of health that contribute to South Asian women’s mental health are culture, social support networks, and education. Adapting to a widely diverse culture, separation from family and close friends, and trying to attain an education, or not having a higher education can cause psychological stress on South Asian women who are trying to make a respectable living in Canada. The three root causes will be discussed, as well as policy recommendations that address this issue.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (SDOH)
SDOH #1 – Cultural Factors
South Asian women in Canada have to manage with adapting to an entirely different culture. Migrating from one country to another could happen for many reasons. Young adults might be trying to attain a higher education, or mothers and seniors are immigrating to Canada for a better lifestyle than their home country could have provided. Women migrating on their own gives more freedom and choice (Asis, 2003). There are many opportunities and goals for starting a contemporary life in Canada. Whatever the reason may be, it is challenging to adjust to a new country and culture.
Many cultural factors of a new country can put psychological stress on women. Older South Asian women may have more stress when it comes to learning new Canadian traditions which can be a culture shock for them. Holidays such as Christmas, Halloween, and Easter are new festivities throughout the year that many Canadians believe in. These are a few, new traditions that they will need to familiarize themselves with as they choose to live in Canada for upcoming years.
Other Asian groups also struggle with maintaining their cultural values. Having teenagers or adult children who are blending between two cultures can develop a conflict with their parents (J. Kim, & H. Kim, 2013). Balancing between a parent’s background and beliefs and absorbing new values from peers in Canada can be difficult. According to Hyman, Vu, & Beiser (2000), a young woman struggled with opening up to her parents because they were overprotective. This over-protection from immigrant parents portray as being strict, and it limits a young woman’s freedom outside of her home. This level of acculturation creates a strain between parents and their children. A young woman may restrict herself from dating, or staying out late with her friends because of the strictness from her parents, as they may not feel comfortable with allowing to give their daughter a lot of freedom.
SDOH #2 – Social Support Networks
Another issue that can be contributing to the psychological stress of South Asian women is that they may not have the same support system from family and friends. Even if migration isn’t the reason of lack of social support, but living in a diverse community is a learning experience. Neighbours of different descent and from other countries can be uncomfortable, or distressing to reach out to when in need of a helping hand.
Separation from family is an obstacle for refugees. For example, many individuals fled from war in their home country, and coming to Canada for that freedom was life-changing. However, they may have left family members behind, and they can be struggling in a new community because it is more diverse. A study of Iraq refugees who migrated to Australia showed that they had more mental-health related issues. When they were separated from their immediate family, they experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, and depressive symptoms (Li, Liddell, Nickerson, 2016). Not having family and friends around can be difficult, because being able to talk or vent to one person who can relate can ease a bit of their stress. Therefore, family separation can be a stressor during the first few years of settling down (Hyman, Vu, & Beiser, 2000).
South Asian women who are starting to familiarize with their community in Canada, also may not understand the healthcare provided and how hospital regulations operate. When it comes to taking care of their health, it is best if they had someone within their society to assist them. Knowing people that speak the same language who are willing to be supportive, or even having an interpreter can be beneficial in worrying circumstances. Additionally, another important issue is that South Asian women may believe that their physical health is more important. However, if they are accumulating stress because of other causes, they must understand that speaking out about their stress can be helpful to them. Research on South Asian youth figured out that they were not happy and they were not comfortable to talk to their mothers about their issues because of the humiliation of having a mental illness (Islam, Multani, Hynie, Shakya, McKenzie, 2017). The young adults spoke about their mothers dealing with post-partum depression and how they did not take care of their mental health because of the stigma. South Asians need to understand that taking care of their mental health is just as important as taking care of their physical health.
SDOH #3 – Education
Education is a delightful learning experience for anyone. Many individuals come from abroad to Canada and take risks of leaving their home country for a better education here. People even leave Canada to go abroad to study and gain more learning experiences. A young adult may be leaving their family and home to receive a post-secondary education in Canada. Another situation could be that a mother may believe that getting an education in another country will be beneficial for her, or for her children one day. A South Asian parent may believe that the education system in Canada provides superior opportunities. In that case, she will leave their home country for their well-being. Then, these kids are known as second-generation children getting an education in Canada. First-generation refers to the individuals born outside of Canada, whereas the second-generation are individuals born in Canada, with one or both parents being born outside of Canada (Dobson, Maheux, & Chui, 2018).
There can also be circumstances where mothers want to go back to school and learn. Some South Asian women are afraid to go back to school. If English may not be her first language or if they are many more years older than most of the other students in the classroom, can be distressing for them. A lot of consideration goes into this, because of finding time to study, possibly finding a babysitter for her children, and making the time to focus on her children as well.
Attaining an education is important for a South Asian woman because they might have fewer opportunities for a paid job without it. Financially, a paid job is going to help pay for expenses when raising a family (Niaz & Hassan, 2006). If they feel that they cannot financially provide for her children, it can cause stress and put a strain on her mental health. Attaining a high school degree, a post-secondary degree, or a master’s degree, or any other form of higher education, South Asian women will feel a sense of empowerment (Jayaweera, 1997). Education is a great way of widening an individual’s knowledge, and it is very beneficial for any woman’s future. Therefore, trying to attain a degree or the lack of education a woman has, should not cause psychological stress on the South Asian woman in Canada.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
To address the mental health of South Asian women, they must understand that this is a serious health issue. People should have social support programs or open up about the fact that women should feel comfortable about the topic of mental health. They should not hide their feelings and must take care of their mental health. Women might not understand that mental health is just as important as their physical health so recommending that to new immigrants can be helpful to them, whether it is a doctor, or a next-door neighbour telling them. Through social or economic support, assisting refugees can be helpful. Social engagement in a community can further improve their mental health.
There are projects active to help improve the mental health of South Asian women. The Roshni Project has started to support the mental health of young South Asian women. They explored their experiences, and also informed their families and educated more on the topic. There were also support provided by the project to take care of these young women (Virdee, n.d.). Social support from the community seems to be very beneficial for newcomers, and especially if they are receiving help from someone of the same background and language.
Conclusion
South Asians are likely to have psychological stress due to migration, acculturation, level of education, lack of family and friends being around and many more reasons. The social determinants of health addressed were culture, social support networks, and education. Furthermore, specific examples were examined and how it can cause stress to South Asian women. With the help of many studies and research, it is clear that South Asian women experience stress and mental disorders. There needs to be increased effort to improve women’s mental health in the South Asian communities of Canada.