Belonging and Mental Wellbeing Among a Rural Indian-Canadian Diaspora: Navigating Tensions in “Finding a Space of Our Own”

Abstract

Belonging is linked to a variety of positive health outcomes. Yet this relationship is not well understood, particularly among rural immigrant diasporas. In this article, we explore the experiences of community belonging and wellbeing among a rural Indian-Canadian diaspora in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, our central research questions being, "What are the experiences of belonging in this community? How does a sense of belonging (or lack of) shape mental health and wellbeing among local residents?" Using a situational analysis research approach, our findings indicate that local residents must navigate several tensions within an overarching reality of finding a space of our own. Such tensions reveal contradictory experiences of tight-knitedness, context-informed notions of cultural continuity, access/acceptability barriers, particularly in relation to rural agricultural living, and competing expectations of "small town" life. Such tensions can begin to be addressed through creative service provision, collaborative decision making, and diversity-informed program planning.

Double Burden of Rural Migration in Canada? Considering the Social Determinants of Health Related to Immigrant Settlement Outside the Cosmopolis

“…The theme of social inclusion, cultural sensitivity, discrimination and social support-related topics are common (19/25) when exploring immigrant and minority experiences in rural communities [3,26,33,35,48,49,50,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83]. Rural communities are found to be more socially ‘tight-knit’ due to a smaller population size [50,73]. Immigrants often perceive themselves as outsiders in a small community and report this dynamic to be a challenge to meaningful participation in community gatherings or other social events [73,74].…”

“…Rural communities are found to be more socially ‘tight-knit’ due to a smaller population size [50,73]. Immigrants often perceive themselves as outsiders in a small community and report this dynamic to be a challenge to meaningful participation in community gatherings or other social events [73,74]. In discussion of the native versus non-native populations in rural communities, in the book titled Eating Chinese: Culture on the Menu in Small Town Canada , Lily Cho provided a narrative account of how Chinese food has been adapted in small towns throughout Canada [75].…”

Through our lens: Experiences of adult mental health service consumers in the Arrow Lakes Region of British Columbia

“…In British Columbia, research of rural and remote realities of mental health has focused on the impacts of regionalization, barriers to accessing services, and the influence of community values on help seeking behaviors (Caxaj & Gill, 2017;Coen, Oliffe, Johnson & Kelly, 2013;Morrow, Hemingway, Grant & Jamer, 2012). Dobrowolsky (2009) states that the regionalization of healthcare services, as a neo-liberal task, works to shift the responsibilities of healthcare to communities -referred to as a smallgovernment approach -without providing said communities with the resources to take up these responsibilities in ways that promote healthcare equity.…”

“…Realities of mental health, rural, remote residency, and health management are represented within existing provincial, national and international bodies of literature. Existing literature has explored topics including the presence -and negative implications -of stigma in rural communities; place-based barriers to accessing mental health services; and the reliance on informal supports and/or self-management strategies (Caxaj & Gill, 2017;Coen et al, 2013;Deen & Bridges, 2011;Levin & Leyland, 2005;Parr & Philo, 2003;Robinson et al, 2012;Singh, 2017).…”

“…The implications of stigma and/or discrimination on mental health and health maintenance in rural geographies has been explored by researchers including Robinson et al (2012), Singh (2017), Caxaj and Gill (2017) In solidarity with existing literature, this project captured the implications of stigma and/or discrimination in the lives of adult mental health service consumers in the Arrow Lakes region, specifically in relation to community based stigma and workplace stigma/discrimination.…”