Exploring the meaning of separation in second-generation young South Asian women in Britain

To explore the experiences of young second-generation South Asian women living in Britain; to try and understand their experiences, deconstruct the term cultural conflict and understand it within a psychological framework. In particular, the aim was to explore issues of separation and individuation, and the meanings attributed to these concepts.

An interview-based study using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to analyse the data.

Interviews were conducted with six second-generation South Asian women aged 16-20, who had no prior contact with mental health services.

Five main themes were identified from the analysis: differences in the meaning of adulthood, community policing, pressures and stressors, protective factors/coping and barriers to coping.

The participants' perceived differences in the meaning of adulthood in Asian cultures in comparison with Western cultures. These differences, in conjunction with the community policing that they were exposed to, contributed to the pressures and stressors - in particular lack of control and a desire to make individual decisions. The results indicated that the differences in the meaning of adulthood in a collective culture challenged the assumptions of the separation-individuation model, and was a key element in cultural conflict. This highlighted the complexities of generalizing research findings across all social groups, and questioned the validity of applying existing psychological theory to this population. The clinical implications of coping/protective factors and barriers to coping were discussed.