Deterioration in Disguise
Let’s Identify and Rectify the Stressors Affecting the Mental Health of South Asian Communities living in Canada
As the number of South Asian immigrants is expected to continue growing, it is vital to understand how they adapt to Canadian society, and the problems they may encounter in this process. South Asian immigrants with children may experience more stress than their European counterparts; because the former may experience more significant cultural differences than the latter.
Here are the significant stressors for South Asians Immigrants in Canada.
Threat to Ethnic Identity
It is considered to be one of the most serious concerns for South Asian immigrants with children and their offspring. In terms of perceptions of identity, they indicate that they feel conflicted living in two cultures, with concerns about their children’s learning and adopting of values of the new society that are unacceptable to them. South Asian immigrants deal with conflicts between different systems of values, beliefs, and behaviors, namely those of community, those of his or her ethnic group, and those belonging to his or her sphere. This adaptation to the cultural values, norms, and behaviors of the dominant group generally causes unavoidable psychological distress for them. As a consequence, threats to ethnic or cultural identity, powerlessness, feelings of marginality, and a sense of inferiority become major mental health risks.
Social Stressors
The domain of social stressors comprises homesickness and isolation, while cultural stressors include differences in cultural values and beliefs. It is essential to know that social stressors are emotionally demanding for immigrants, including homesickness for the native country, family, and friends left behind. South Asian may feel loneliness, estrangement from others, and experience difficulty in making new friends.
Discrimination
Another category comprises the experience of racism and discrimination that may negatively affect the psychological well-being of South Asians living in Canada. For instance, societal prejudices against immigrants advance the idea that they are poor, uneducated and desperate to live in Western countries.
Lack of Opportunities for Occupational and Financial Mobility
Less income, socioeconomic disadvantage, and underemployment are the major stressors among South Asians immigrants that contribute to psychological distress. Other reported stressors include poor housing and non-proficiency in spoken English.
Physical and Biological Stressors
Physical stressors that South Asians may encounter in Canada include climate, unfamiliar setting, housing, and safety, whereas biological stressors include food and disease.