A focus group exploration of the impact of izzat, shame, subordination and entrapment on mental health and service use in South Asian women living in Derby

Abstract

There is increasing evidence suggesting that shame, subordination and entrapment can play a powerful role in psychopathology. However, we know little about how these processes are experienced in different communities. This study therefore sets out to examine South Asian women's views of these processes and how they impact on their lives. It was found that reflected shame and honour (the shame and honour that can be brought to others by one's own behaviour) is called izzat. The importance of maintaining family honour and identifying with it (izzat) was linked to personal shame. It was also given as a reason people can be trapped in difficult relationships. Moreover, fear of reflected shame and loss of izzat were regarded as key reasons South Asian women might not use mental health services. A central fear was a failure by professionals to keep confidentiality—a fear found in other research.