“If You Say You Have Mental Health Issues, Then You Are Mad”: Perceptions of Mental Health in the Parenting Practices of African Immigrants in Canada
Abstract
The health and wellbeing of African children and families, as an emerging demographic, is of interest and concern to various stakeholders in Canada. Yet, few studies have examined how parents and other members of the African community perceive the concept of mental health. This paper examines the perceptions of mental health of African community members concerning parenting children of African heritage. Findings show that linguistic differences, cultural beliefs, and life experiences play a role in how African immigrants living within the Canadian context view mental health and mental health difficulties. African immigrant parents struggle with the tension of holding traditional cultural views of wellness in an environment where structures and services are centred around Western notions of mental health and illness and the potential impact this can have on their parenting practices and children’s mental health. Recommendations for resolving conflicts relating to mental health perceptions are discussed to enhance service access and provision among African immigrant families in Canada and other Western countries.
Notes
Key recommendations
Early mental health promotion with recent immigrant parents is critical for supporting immigrant children’s wellbeing in a new country
Key findings
African immigrant parents struggle with the tension of holding traditional cultural views of wellness in an environment where structures and services are centred around Western notions of mental health and illness and the potential impact this can have on their parenting practices and children’s mental health.
Perceptions of mental health and child mental health promotion practices of African immigrants:
(1) Mental health as synonymous to mental illness – mental health to visible symptoms of advanced psychiatric disorders, known colloquially as “madness.”
(2) Mental health challenges as a spiritual problem – mental health as a spiritual problem that ought to be addressed in the physical realm.
(3) Stigma and mental health – culturally-based perceptions that relate mental health to taboos, spiritual inflictions, and fear of “madness” or losing touch with reality.
(4) Contesting concepts of mental health diagnoses and treatment – mistrust and refusal of professional diagnosis of child mental health conditions
Gaps identified
Tension between traditional African parenting practices and Western approach to parenting
Community organizations
African community organizations
Location
Alberta
Key populations
African immigrant parents
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
NA
Open-access – No