The UK term Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) is used to describe people from non-white backgrounds. As such, describing a person as being BAME faces limitations and issues because it groups people from different backgrounds under one umbrella term. It doesn’t consider the diversity and unique identities prevalent across the different groups. Differences do not necessarily mean race, but can also include ethnic, cultural and religious differences. Moreover, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are likely to view and experience mental health issues differently from the white population. Therefore, for the purposes of research and discussion, utilizing the term BAME is appropriate when identifying the adversity’s individuals from non-white backgrounds experience.
There are many complex disadvantages that affect the mental health of people from BAME communities such as social, economic, cultural factors and inequalities. In particular, systemic racism (policies or practices within organizations and society that are discriminatory on the basis of race) discrimination, marginalization, and mental health stigma. Additionally, people from BAME communities have a higher chance of experiencing poverty, have low educational outcomes, an increased rate of unemployment and may even face challenges accessing or receiving support from appropriate professional services. As a consequence, people from BAME communities living in the UK are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems, admitted to hospitals with a mental health problem, and experience poorer treatment outcomes overall compared to their white counterparts.
Children and young people from BAME communities can experience varying degrees of physical and verbal racism and discrimination in their personal lives. This can commonly occur in the form of in schools. Unsurprisingly, research suggests that experiencing racism can be very stressful and have a negative effect on overall health, mental health, and self-esteem. Therefore, people who have been exposed to racism increase their risk of experiencing mental health problems such as psychosis, depression and anxiety. For example, research by Bhugra et al (1996) and Kirkbride et al (2012) found that people from black communities are five times more likely to go on to develop psychosis compared to the white population. Kirkbride further found that South Asians and people from a mixed heritage living in England are twice as likely to develop psychosis. Clearly, the possibility of developing a mental health problem is disproportionately large in BAME communities and the disparities are contextually influential.
The Effects of the pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a very unprecedented and distressing experience for the general population that has led to the decline in mental health. There have been a lot of loss and adjustment to the current situation which has significantly impacted BAME communities, especially because they have accumulated the highest death rate in the UK. Alongside this, recent research by Mind, Kooth and the Childhood Trust discovered that the Covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted BAME children’s mental health more than their white peers, as such there has been a surge in anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in under-18s. Furthermore, young people from BAME communities are experiencing higher rates of suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviours compared to their white peers. This is because of the existing inequalities that have been made worse by the economic and social fallout of the pandemic. The report from Mind, Kooth and the Childhood Trust found that the most prevalent inequalities included school closures, limited access to technological resources including the inability to complete classroom work from home, food deprivation and a rise in homelessness. These inequalities are barriers to a child’s learning and living experience; that is why it is so crucial for teachers to be aware of the current societal issues.
How teachers can support young people from BAME communities’ mental health
Children from BAME communities are children just like any other, with the same aspirations and needs as any other pupil. It’s important to remind young people to embrace and appreciate their differences; it’s what makes them unique and promotes self-esteem. However, there are certain obstacles within society and some aspects regarding cultural interpretations of mental health, that teachers need to be aware of so they can best facilitate well-being in these pupils.
Some things that are important to consider:
Culture can play a large role in shaping how a young person makes sense of their wellbeing; the language used within certain cultures may differ from Eurocentric terminology used to describe mental health. Additionally, some cultures may not even have any language or terms that are used to discuss mental health. Teacher’s need to be sensitive to the fact that within BAME communities sometimes poor mental health is rarely spoken about and negatively perceived. A common phrase that may be used is calling someone who is emotionally distressed ‘crazy’, but of course this is inconsiderate and harmful to the person experiencing the mental health issue. Due to this young people from these backgrounds may feel reluctant to share if they are having difficulties with their mental health, perhaps because of the negative beliefs held within their culture and fear of shame. Consequently, it can be harder to engage with young people who are experiencing these emotional barriers. To overcome this, teachers could proactively create a safe environment to discuss mental health positively using appropriate language to reduce barriers in engagement and feelings of shame. Encouraging young people to share their views on how their culture influences their thoughts around mental health and wellbeing, is very crucial in establishing a holistic understanding of their perspective. It can also help young children from BAME backgrounds build better relationships with their white peers.
As previously mentioned, racism and discrimination are persistent factors that can lead to emotional distress within people from non-white backgrounds. When working with young children, they may not understand the meaning of racism and discrimination or even know what it means to be a racist and act discriminatory. Teaching young people these terms may be helpful as a learning experience, however, teachers should diligently minimize the chances of pupils acting racist or discriminatory towards each other. A useful classroom exercise would be to help young people acknowledge that they are more than their physical attributes. For example, work with the young people and have them reflect on their identity- what does it mean to be me? Having a sense of self-identity and social identity can assist young people to explore their unique and shared characteristics and in turn, realize that identity goes beyond race. Extending the exercise would be to have the young people think about how their identities could have an influence on their mental health and wellbeing. What aspects of their identity could make their mental health better or worse; make this a collaborative process between teacher and pupils. For instance, having a strong interest in playing football may promote positive mental health for the young person, however, they may be a girl and there’s only a boy’s football team in the school which could have a negative impact on their mental health. This activity could help young people acknowledge how their experiences are similar and/or different to each other.
Teachers need to be aware of the current societal climate in which young people live. Young people from BAME communities can feel threatened and anxious about what occurs in the media and society; therefore, it could make young people feel “on edge” or exacerbate existing stresses or poor mental wellbeing. Being pre-prepared to counter and discuss these issues can help to reassure and promote a feeling of value in young people within BAME, who may be carrying some of these worries internally or feel that they cannot speak about them.
Teacher wellbeing
As with all matters of wellbeing taking time to focus on areas such as emotional intelligence and social confidence helps to build an outlook that feeds into the interactions a teacher has with the young people they support. Whilst we are preparing ourselves to help others we must also look after ourselves, we’ve got some advice and guidance on this in the teacher wellbeing section.
