Mental Distress and the Coping Strategies of Elderly Indian Immigrant Women

Abstract

This article explores how elderly English-speaking Indian immigrant women living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada perceive and manage mental distress. With elders' consent, in-depth interviews were recorded, transcribed and transcripts were thematically analyzed. The findings suggest that these women believed that to lower the risk of mental distress it is critical for individuals to ;maximize control over inner self' by ;being busy.' The elder's busy behavior is framed within the Indian cultural and spiritual/faith matrix in dialogue with acculturation experiences in Canada. ;Staying busy' allows these elders to use culture as a ;moral medicine' to facilitate coping and adaptation.

Revealing the shape of knowledge using an intersectionality lens: results of a scoping review on the health and health care of ethnocultural minority older adults

“…In the qualitative literature on barriers to health-care access, some studies problematically use culture as both an explanation of the issue and as the route for addressing it ( e.g. Acharya 2004; Filinson 1992; Masi and Disman 1994). Culture in these studies is often treated as static, failing to account for the changing dynamics in such populations.…”

South Asian older adults with memory impairment: improving assessment and access to dementia care

“…This is consistent with the findings of Mukadam et al (2011aMukadam et al ( , 2011b for ME groups in general regarding dementia. It is interesting to note, however, that the majority of the literature focusing on South Asian OA specifically has accumulated in the UK, with only two studies having been conducted in (Acharya and Northcott, 2007;McCleary et al, 2013) and one in the USA (Morhardt et al, 2010). However, as previously noted, South Asians represent a large proportion of ME groups in Anglo-American countries (Tran et al, 2005;ABS, 2006;ONS, 2011a;USCB, 2012).…”

“…However, when dementia-related symptoms reach a level of severity requiring very substantial family care, carers themselves may become isolated as they reduce participation in social and community activities (Mackenzie, 2006;Joshi et al, 2008). Where religious punishment is perceived as a cause of mental illness, some use faith as an alternative coping strategy (Acharya and Northcott, 2007;Joshi et al, 2008). A strong religious belief, with faith enhancing mental resilience, may alleviate some of the stress experienced by a person with mental disorder or their carer.…”

Mental Health and Service Issues Faced by Older Immigrants in Canada: A Scoping Review

“…Mental health issues were seen to occur as a result of function of gender-based status, attitudes, behaviours, relative power, and roles. Being female and single can contribute to mental health problems (Acharya & Northcott, 2007 ;Lai, 2000b ;Lai & Surood, 2008 ;Lai & Yuen, 2003 ;Sadavoy et al, 2004 ;Zunzunegui, Forster, Gauvin, Raynault, & Williams, 2006 ). Forced fi nancial and emotional dependency can lead to mental distress in older immigrants, especially women, who often provide household services such as unpaid housekeeping and childcare and/or hand over their assets to family members who are struggling fi nancially in Canada.…”

“…Large studies involving cross-cultural groups could help clarify the degree to which previous fi ndings are unique to specifi c ethnocultural groups or common across groups. Researchers could also investigate the Acharya & Northcott ( 2007 ) • Lack of awareness; gender; cultural beliefs and values • Self-help coping strategies; strong spirituality and religious identity; acculturation Beiser & Hou ( 2006 ) • Unemployment and fi nancial diffi culties; marginalization; discrimination/racism/social exclusion; language barriers • Lack of suffi cient appropriate services; barriers in access to health care; ethnic identity; cultural beliefs, traditions, and values; acculturation; immigrant status; economic barriers; family and social support networks; gender Beiser et al ( 2003 ) • Financial diffi culties; language barriers; lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services; transportation problems; lack of social network; lack of family support; immigrant status; enforced dependency on children • Fears of mistreatment and beliefs about illness; loneliness; witnessing combat; physical assault; overburdened by childcare responsibilities Chow 2010• Cultural beliefs and values • Limited information and knowledge on mental health and mental illness (mental health literacy); fi nancial situation; gender; marital status; education; country of origin; culture; length of residence; use of Western medications; physical mobility Lai ( 2000a ) • Ageism; cultural beliefs and values; language barriers • Service barriers; poor physical health; length of stay in Canada; less fi nancial inadequacy; chronic illnesses Lai ( 2000b ) • Cultural beliefs and values; language barriers; limited knowledge about existing services; limited access to mental health services; gender • Length of residence Lai (2003) • Limited knowledge about existing services; fi nancial diffi culties; ageism; cultural beliefs and values; lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services • Ethnic identity; marital status; cultural incompatibility between older Chinese Canadians and mainstream society; education; country of origin Lai ( 2004a ) • Cultural beliefs and values • Living alone; older age; single status; gender; religious belief; level of education; level of social support; fi nancial situation Lai ( 2004b ) • Cultural beliefs and values; chronic illnesses; ageism; physical health problems • Level of identifi cation with cultural groups; living alone; level of life satisfaction; fi nancial situation; length of residency in Canada Lai ( 2005 ) • Adjustment issues; culture beliefs and values; culture shock; ageism • Physical health problems; marital status; gender; level of social support; poor fi nancial situation; discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and older age Lai & Chau ( 2007 ) • Culturally insensitive or unresponsive health care professionals • Language incompatibility; personal attitude (fear, stigma, misconceptions about using formal health services); level of identifi cation with cultural health beliefs; discrimination Lai & Surood ( 2008 ) • Gender; cultural beliefs and values • Lack of culturally sensitive and compatibility in service de...…”