Wellbeing and experiences of Chinese and Vietnamese carers of people with mental illness in Australia

Abstract

Many studies show that carers of people with mental illness experience a negative impact on their wellbeing. Given the growing number of people relocating to Australia every year, there are limited studies examining the experience of carers of people with mental illness from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia. Using cultural safety as a conceptual framework, this exploratory study recruited 14 carers of Chinese and Vietnamese heritage who were attending culturally and linguistically oriented support groups in Sydney, Australia. Standardised, validated scales were administered to measure carers’ wellbeing and knowledge of recovery. Structured interviews were conducted to understand carers’ perceived needs. Descriptive statistical and qualitative thematic analysis were used. Findings show that carers experienced social isolation and psychological distress, had multiple diverse needs and had a reasonably good understanding of recovery. Six themes were identified: i) obtaining information in own language; ii) attaining emotional support from support groups; iii) needing respite services to cope with caregiving responsibilities; iv) involvement in planning of treatment and care; v) migration process influencing caregiving, and; vi) cultural and transcultural factors influencing caregiving experience. Findings indicate that some carers might be experiencing some level of culturally unsafe practices in mainstream mental health services. Implications for support groups and mental health services are discussed.

Coproduction with peer support groups: A new approach to culturally responsive social services

“…Third, this approach enables organizations to incorporate the power of peer support in practice development. The findings reinforce research about good peer support providing information, emotional support, and social connections for peers (Balcazar et al, 2012; Poon et al, 2021; Serrata et al, 2016). Peer support empowers individuals and enhances their capacity to express their support needs and seek solutions, especially for people from culturally diverse backgrounds (Balcazar et al, 2012; Fang et al, 2021; Poon et al, 2021; Serrata et al, 2016).…”

“…The findings reinforce research about good peer support providing information, emotional support, and social connections for peers (Balcazar et al, 2012; Poon et al, 2021; Serrata et al, 2016). Peer support empowers individuals and enhances their capacity to express their support needs and seek solutions, especially for people from culturally diverse backgrounds (Balcazar et al, 2012; Fang et al, 2021; Poon et al, 2021; Serrata et al, 2016). This means that peer support groups can independently address some users' preferences and needs and thus ease the organization's obligations to address all needs.…”

“…By June 2019, only 8.4% of people with an NDIS plan were from culturally diverse backgrounds, which was below the NDIS target of having at least 20% of the NDIS participants from culturally diverse backgrounds (NDIA, 2019). The historical disparity of social support for people with disability and their families from culturally diverse backgrounds persists in the context of the NDIS (Fang & Fisher, 2019; Fang et al, 2021; Poon et al, 2021; Senaratna et al, 2018).…”

“…Informal social support, such as peer support run by and for people with disability and their families from culturally diverse backgrounds, has shown to be a good complement to formal disability support (Balcazar et al, 2012; Fang & Fisher, 2019; Liu & Fisher, 2017; Poon et al, 2021). The coproduction of culturally responsive disability support between peer support groups and organizations is a promising approach because the groups provide a safe and empowering space for people who use services to freely express their support needs and for providers to respond to the needs accordingly (Fang et al, 2021).…”