Ghobrial, Andrew;
Samba, Phil;
Burns, Fiona M;
Nicholls, Emily Jay;
Weatherburn, Peter;
Lampe, Fiona C;
Chu, Isaac Yen-Hao;
... Witzel, T Charles; + view all
(2025)
Barriers and facilitators to addressing mental health needs among Asian, Black and Latin American men who have sex with men (MSM) in England and Wales: A qualitative study.
PLOS Mental Health
, 2
(3)
, Article e0000231. 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000231.
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Abstract
Ethnic and sexual minority groups are underserved by mental health services globally despite having potentially greater need. This study aimed to explore how the intersections between sexual orientation and ethnicity shape mental health experiences and service access for Asian, Black and Latin American men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK. This research was drawn from a qualitative sub-study of a larger HIV self-testing randomised controlled trial (SELPHI). Cis-gender Black, Asian and Latin American MSM who participated in SELPHI were recruited purposively to ensure sample diversity. Semi-structured interviews including a focused section on mental health were conducted between April and July 2020. A thematic framework approach was used to analyse the transcribed interview data. Twenty-nine participants were interviewed, comprising thirteen Black, eleven Asian and five Latin American MSM. The data were organised into three meta-themes exploring 1) Background, culture and upbringing, 2) Sexuality and manifestation of mental health issues, and 3) Barriers and facilitators to accessing mental health services. Childhood experiences of hypermasculine norms shaped the development of self-reliant coping strategies for mental distress. Peer support was protective of mental health, but alcohol, party drugs and chemsex could exacerbate feelings of isolation. Intersectional stigma restricted mental health service access, highlighting the need for culturally competent services. Previous use of mental health services and openness about mental health among social groups were facilitators to access. Private mental health services were often favoured due to perceptions of a superior quality of care and the speed of access, although participants recognised this as a financial barrier which further deepened structural inequities in access to mental healthcare. This study highlights the importance of multi-system and interdisciplinary interventions to facilitate discussions surrounding mental health within Asian, Black and Latin American MSM communities. In particular, services must be mindful of the barriers and facilitators faced by these groups when accessing mental health services, including norms linking self-reliance and masculinity.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Barriers and facilitators to addressing mental health needs among Asian, Black and Latin American men who have sex with men (MSM) in England and Wales: A qualitative study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000231 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000231 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright: © 2025 Ghobrial et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| 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/10206700 |
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