Understanding the experiences of South Asian survivors of domestic abuse who have sought help for their mental health

Introduction: Domestic abuse (DA) is a public health problem, adversely affecting millions of women in the UK every year. There are clear links between experiencing DA and subsequent psychological distress and mental health difficulties. There exist a multitude of complex pathways to support after experiencing DA, none of which are documented clearly in the literature. Women’s experiences of seeking help for their mental health after experiencing DA are severely under-researched. The overall help-seeking and particularly mental health help-seeking experiences of Women of the Global Majority (WGM) are addressed only in a handful of UK based studies. Little is known about what this process looks like and how it is understood and experienced by the women who must navigate it. One UK based study exists, focusing on the DA, mental health, and help-seeking experiences of South Asian women (Anitha et al., 2009). This research seeks to expand on these findings.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six South Asian women who had experienced domestic abuse and sought emotional support from services.

Results: Interview data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), resulting in a rich and detailed account of how these women understand and assign meaning to their experiences of mental health-help seeking after DA.

Discussion: This study aligns with some of the existing literature on mental health help-seeking in South Asian communities and adds to the very limited evidence base around South Asian women’s experiences of mental health help-seeking after DA. Implications and recommendations from the findings are made for services working with South Asian survivors, as well as for future research.