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Dementia in the Bangladeshi diaspora in England: A qualitative study of the myths and stigmas about dementia
Author(s) -
Hossain Muhammad Zakir,
Khan Hafiz T.A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of evaluation in clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.737
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1365-2753
pISSN - 1356-1294
DOI - 10.1111/jep.13117
Subject(s) - dementia , thematic analysis , qualitative research , medicine , psychiatry , psychology , disease , sociology , social science , pathology
Rationale, aims and objectives Although Bangladeshis are three times more likely to be carers than White British, Bangladeshi family carers are the most deprived, neglected, and effectively a hidden group in the United Kingdom. 1 There is a paucity of research within the Bangladeshi community that is capable of explaining and predicting the experiences and concerns of Bangladeshi family carers providing care for their relatives with dementia. The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives of Bangladeshi family carers' knowledge and day‐to‐day experiences living in England. Methods This is a qualitative study involving semistructured face‐to‐face interviews with six Bangladeshi family carers living in London and Portsmouth. Interviews were recorded with the consent and transcribed verbatim. Data were managed by using NVivo software, and thematic analysis was performed. Results This paper explores that most carers have a lack of knowledge and awareness of the symptoms of dementia. The results of this study are in contrast to previous studies, where South Asian carers perceived dementia as being possessed by evil spirits or God's punishment for previous life's sins; this study reveals that Bangladeshi family carers believed dementia was a medical condition. Unlike earlier South Asian studies, however, all family carers in this study also believed that there was no stigma attached to dementia. Conclusions Further research is warranted to investigate the religious beliefs, familism, and interpersonal motives as theoretical perspectives to explain how Bangladeshi family carers negotiate and construct their caregiving roles for their relatives with dementia.