The Psychological Impact of Caring for a Parent With Cancer on Adult Children of South Asian Heritage: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis

Objective

Caring for a parent with cancer is a common role taken on by adult children in the UK and has been linked to worsening mental health. Research has largely focused on White populations, however with an increase in people from minoritised backgrounds living in the UK, conducting research with populations that are representative of society is important. Therefore, this study aims to explore the psychological impact of caring for a parent with cancer on adult children of South Asian heritage.

Method

Semi-structured, face to face, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight participants recruited from charity organisations in West Yorkshire. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results

The psychological impact described by participants was similar to research on other caregiving populations, but participants reported added challenges of managing community and familial expectations. In addition, participants reported difficult experiences with primary care potentially leading to later diagnosis. More positively, religion was mostly protective and helped participants cope.

Conclusion

Elements of South Asian culture for example, expectations around caregiving and family values, adds to the psychological impact of caring for a parent with cancer. Untimely care from GPs and difficulties accessing support contributes to this. The benefits of implementing community psychology practices and service user involvement are considered, and suggestions made for improving accessibility to NHS psychology services.