Mental Health Russian and Polish migrants
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of the mental health experiences of two Eastern European migrant groups from Russia and Poland, who access Mental Health Services, while resident in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
IRAS ID
275078
Contact name
Lois A Dugmore
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
De Montfort University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Very little is known about the mental health experiences of Russian and Polish migrants living within the United Kingdom. As economic migration to the United Kingdom continues, mental health services need to be able to respond to the need of migrant populations. Differences in white populations differ greatly to just language issues. There has been a plethora of literature looking at differences for Black and Ethnic Minority migrants, but very little around Eastern Europeans. With increasing numbers accessing health and mental health services it is fundamental to understand the needs of this population to facilitate services to meet the need. We understand the impact of War and loss, the underpinnings of living within communist states and effects on populations, but fail to see the ramifications when providing services and mental health staff receive no training within these fields. Immigration has been a large part of the makeup of the British population yet little is known about the differences in cultures between white British and Eastern Europeans accessing mental health services. Do services fully understand their cultural norms? Data will emerge from the narratives using unstructured interviews. The secondary position that may emerge will be what impact “Brexit” will have on Russian and Polish migrants living in the United Kingdom or their concerns which may impact on their mental health. The UK is reliant on migrant workers within hospitality and care industries within the United Kingdom. This thesis will aim to address the cultural aspects of Russian and Polish migrants accessing mental health services to inform the care that is delivered. This study will aim to address the issues related to mental health and cultural differences to lead to an improvement of care provided to this client group.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/EM/0164
Date of REC Opinion
4 Aug 2020
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion