Capitalising on the social resources within culturally and linguistically diverse communities for mental health promotion: stories of Australian Chinese people

Abstract

Social capital, generally observed in Chinese cultures, can be considered as the glue that holds together all the norms, trust and social networks that enhance mutual benefit of a collectivistic society. The aim of this paper is to explore the best way to tap into these social resources in mental health promotion. A mixed-method study, consisting of 16 community focus groups and a quantitative survey (n = 528), was conducted among Chinese Australians (recruited from general practices) in metropolitan Sydney. Although the focus groups explored help-seeking behaviours during emotional distress, the survey assessed the prevalence of such episodes. Chinese informants identified ‘family and friends’, ‘cultural values’, ‘spirituality’ and ‘self’ as common ‘helpers’ for managing depressive episodes before professionals were consulted. These ‘helpers’ function as the ‘social capital’ within the Chinese community. Focus group narratives of the low-acculturated Chinese revealed that they turned to close friends and family for help during crises. Highly acculturated Chinese found ‘family values’ most helpful when facing adversity. Survey findings indicated that the self-report rate of lifetime depression in low-acculturated Chinese was significantly lower than that of Australians. These results resonate with Cullen and Whiteford’s (2001) proposition that a higher level of social capital decreases the incidence of depression. Although the links between social capital and mental health require further investigation, the current findings support its role in counteracting emotional distress. There are implications of the current research findings to wider culturally and linguistically diverse communities.