Ethnic Diversity Benefits Mental Health

A new paper published on bmj.com suggests that some ethnic minority groups suffer fewer mental health problems when living in areas with a greater proportion of people from the same ethnic background and independent of levels of affluence. 



The study, the first of its kind, suggests there may be mental health benefits from living in ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. The 'protective effects' were particularly significant for Bangladeshi and Irish people. 



The authors, led by Dr Jayati Das-Munshi from the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, argue that there is a lack of research to account for the varying rates of common mental disorders amongst ethnic minority groups living in Britain. 

The research team set about to investigate whether living in the same area acts as a “buffering effect” for minority groups by providing them with social support and networks or by reducing racism. 



Dr Das-Munshi and colleagues used information from the EMPIRIC1 survey of 4281 participants of Irish, Black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and White British ethnicity. They were aged between 16 to 74 and were chosen at random from 892 areas in England.

A combination of structured interviews and questionnaires was used to assess the presence of common mental disorders, the participants’ experience of acts of discrimination, and their perceived levels of social support. 

The authors argue that the results "provide compelling evidence in support of the notion that ethnically dense areas may be protective of mental health for some ethnic minority groups, despite these areas also tending to be the poorest".

Living in areas with a higher proportion of people from the same background, for most but not all ethnic groups, was associated with better perceived social support and fewer reported experiences of discrimination. However, these effects did not seem to explain the protective effect on mental health. 

This view is supported in an accompanying editorial by Professor Helen Lester from the National School for Primary Care Research in Manchester.

She said: "A growing body of evidence - which is fairly consistent across time, place, and ethnic group - now shows that ethnic density affects mental health. Das-Munshi and colleagues' study leaves us more convinced of the effect, but further research is needed to clarify the scope and size of the effects, including the 'tipping point' or degree of density needed to exert a protective effect on health."

(BMcN)