Mental Health in British South Asians: The Effects of Cultural Honour, Social Identification, and Resilience

Abstract

British South Asians can be thought of as belonging to honour cultures in which the group’s social image and reputation are central to its identity. Data from 304 British South Asians show that perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honour was associated with higher depression and anxiety and with lower life satisfaction but that psychological resilience (the ability to “bounce back”) and identity resilience (higher combined levels of self-esteem, self-efficacy, continuity, and positive distinctiveness) had some protective effects for different dimensions of mental health. Interventions to enhance mental health in British South Asians should focus on building psychological resilience and identity resilience, especially in the face of pressures associated with cultural honour.