Recognizing service users’ diversity: social identity narratives of British Pakistanis in a mental health context

• Published in: The journal of mental health training, education, and practice Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 200 - 212
• Main Authors: Hussain, Basharat, Sheikh, Abdullah Zafar, Repper, Julie, Stickley, Theodore, Timmons, Stephen, Shah, Mahmood Hussain
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brighton Emerald Publishing Limited 24-05-2021; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Community living; Community Relations; Cultural Awareness; Cultural identity; Displaced persons; Drug Therapy; Ethnic groups; Ethnicity; Gender Discrimination; Group Membership; Health needs; Health services; Help Seeking; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental health care; Mental Health Programs; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Groups; Narratives; Professional ethics; Quality of care; Race; Racial Identification; Religion; Sampling; Social Behavior; Social identity; Stereotypes; Stigma; Urban Areas; Values; United Kingdom > UK; Ethnic minority service users; NHS; Mental health services; Pakistani; Social identity
• ISSN: 1755-6228; 2042-8707
• DOI: 10.1108/JMHTEP-06-2020-0040

Purpose
This study aims to investigate how British Pakistani people talk about their social identity, in the context of mental health, and how this shapes their experiences and perceptions of care delivered by the National Health Service, UK.
Design/methodology/approach
Eight narrative interviews were conducted among members of the Pakistani community living in a city in the UK. The data were analyzed using a narrative analysis approach using “social identity” as a theoretical lens.
Findings
Considering Pakistani service users as a single social entity, and responding with generic approaches in meeting their mental health needs, may not be helpful in achieving equitable treatment. Study participants reject a simple conceptualization of race and ethnicity and how a response based upon stereotypes is woefully inadequate. The study revealed that people from one ethnic or national background cannot be assumed to have a fixed social identity.
Originality/value
This study broadens understanding of how people from a single ethnic background may construct and view their social identities markedly different to others from the same ethnic group. This has implications for service providers in understanding how their clients’ social identity is treated and understood in practice.