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'Medicine doesn't cure my worries': Understanding the drivers of mental distress in older Nepalese women living in the UK

Sah, LK; Burgess, RA; Sah, RK; (2019) 'Medicine doesn't cure my worries': Understanding the drivers of mental distress in older Nepalese women living in the UK. Global Public Health , 14 (1) pp. 65-79. 10.1080/17441692.2018.1473888. Green open access

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Abstract

The mental health of migrant communities is an important public health concern. A growing body of literature suggests that social and cultural determinants of health significantly contribute to the mental health and wellbeing of older migrants in their host countries. Despite the increasing population of older Nepalese migrants in the UK, there is little research exploring the mental health needs of this community. This article explores older Nepalese women’s experiences of drivers of mental distress in London. Data was collected using in-depth interviews with 20 older Nepalese women living in the London Borough of Greenwich. Grounded thematic analysis of women’s narratives identified six overarching factors contributing to their emotional distress that pose potential risks to their mental health: absence of family, language barriers, housing problems, physical illness, lack of appropriate support, fears of death, and inadequate financial resources. In many cases, the impact of these factors was experienced in combination rather than isolation, often influenced by cultural dynamics. Findings highlight that re-settlement in the absence of family is at the heart of emotional challenges for older Nepalese women. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations for supporting processes of settlement to mitigate this risk among older Nepalese women in the UK.

Type: Article
Title: 'Medicine doesn't cure my worries': Understanding the drivers of mental distress in older Nepalese women living in the UK
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2018.1473888
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2018.1473888
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Mental health, women, social determinants, migration, United Kingdom
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10054716
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