ABSTRACT

Background: Psychosis is known to be associated with high levels of public and internalised stigma, especially for those newly diagnosed. There is currently little know about the stigma experiences of second-generation British South-Asian people experiencing psychosis. This study aimed to explore the stigma experiences of this population who are using Early Intervention in Psychosis services.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten British South-Asian adults who had received care from an Early Intervention in Psychosis Service in an urban and diverse area of London. Thematic Analysis was used to interpret findings.

Results: Four themes and eleven sub-themes were developed from the data. The main themes were “the burden of silencing”, “unrecognised aspects of their situation by services”, “experience as the other” and “finding ways to cope”. Findings indicate that stigma manifests differently based on individual experiences, culture and multiple intersecting stigmatised characteristics such as race, religion and socio-economic status.

Conclusion: Early Intervention in Psychosis Services should ensure a person’s cultural context and experiences of stigmatisation are considered in their care. Also, engagement of local South-Asian communities is needed to develop service provision which is more informed by the social and cultural needs, beliefs and experiences of this population.

摘要

背景：众所周知，精神病与高度的公共和内化污名有关，特别是对于那些新诊断的人。目前对患有精神病的第二代英国南亚人的耻辱经历知之甚少。本研究旨在探索使用精神病早期干预服务的这一人群的耻辱经历。

方法：对 10 名英国南亚成年人进行了半结构化访谈，他们在伦敦的一个城市和多元化地区接受了早期精神病干预服务的护理。主题分析用于解释调查结果。

结果：根据数据开发了四个主题和十一个子主题。主要主题是“沉默的负担”、“服务无法识别他们处境的方面”、“作为另一个人的体验”和“寻找应对方法”。调查结果表明，基于个人经历、文化和多种交叉的污名化特征，例如种族、宗教和社会经济地位，污名的表现形式不同。

结论：精神病服务的早期干预应确保在他们的护理中考虑一个人的文化背景和污名化经历。此外，还需要当地南亚社区的参与，以开发更了解这一人群的社会和文化需求、信仰和经历的服务。