Pathways to Psychological Therapy for Black Africans - V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pathways, Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Psychological Therapy in Black African Communities in the UK
IRAS ID
148648
Contact name
Katrina Scior
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Research summary
Current government initiatives in mental health aim to improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies for all, regardless of age, gender and ethnicity. However data suggests that certain ethnic groups such as Black Africans are accessing primary care psychology services far below the level expected given the size of this population in the UK. Black Africans are instead more likely to be compulsorily detained under the mental health act.
This research aims to study the experiences of Black Africans who access psychological therapy services to find out what pathways are taken, including who they talk to and where they seek help; what barriers make it difficult for them to access services, and what enables them to overcome these.
Potential benefits of the study include improved access for Black Africans to psychological therapies, given an increased understanding of the barriers involved for this population. This may potentially decrease the number of Black Africans being compulsorily detained under the mental health act as treatment will be sought at an earlier stage. It will also give participants a voice to discuss their pathways into services.
This qualitative study will use an individual semi-structured interview lasting approximately 1 hour to allow 10-12 participants to discuss their experiences. The interview will focus on the journey from first experiencing emotional distress to accessing psychological therapy. Factors which made access more difficult (‘barriers’) or which enabled access (‘facilitators’) will be discussed.
Participants will be recruited from IAPT services in areas of London with a large Black African population. Current and discharged patients will be contacted by letter from the service. Interviews will take place in private rooms in NHS/University premises, and all participants will give informed consent for the study.
This study is being completed as part of a doctorate and is funded by University College London.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0763
Date of REC Opinion
2 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion