Black Women's Experiences of Detention Decisions in EIS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring Black women’s experiences of the decision to compulsorily detain them in Early Intervention Services
IRAS ID
259364
Contact name
Miriam Fornells-Ambrojo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2019/08/61, UCL Data Protection Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
It has long been known that people of black African and Caribbean descent are overrepresented in psychiatric services in the UK. It is well-established that black men have an increased likelihood of being detained under the mental health act, however, much less attention has been paid to the experiences of black women who are compulsorily detained, also known as ‘sectioned’, during times of psychological distress. This is surprising given that black African women have the greatest relative likelihood of being detained across all groups, being more than 7 times more likely to be compulsorily detained than white British women, whereas black African males are 2.13 times more likely to be compulsorily detained than white British males.
The markedly increased relative odds of detention for black women suggests that ethnicity (i.e. being black) and gender (i.e. being a woman) contribute to this difference. However, there is little understanding of the factors underlying ethnic disparities and their interaction with gender. This study aims to investigate first-person narratives on the impact of black ethnicity and female gender on experiences of being detained using semi-structured interview and questionnaires. In particular, the project aims to investigate black women’s perception and understanding of the detention decision-making process, including their views on what they believe influenced the decision to be detained. This could help identify actionable targets for change.
Reducing inequalities in compulsory detention is important, not only as a matter of social justice, but also for the future health outcomes of black people in the UK. Moving beyond identifying the presence of inequalities to gaining insight into what causes and maintains the disparities is vital for change to occur. Furthermore, this will begin to address the governmental aims of delivering race equality, in line in the values of equality and respect outlined in the NHS constitution.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1584
Date of REC Opinion
23 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion