– Research evidence concerning the mental health of the Chinese population in Britain is much more limited than for other ethnic groups. The purpose of this paper is to get a better understanding of the mental health needs of Chinese children living in the North East of England and their parents’ experiences and knowledge about the mental health services.
– The authors invited parents from two Chinese language schools to complete the Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) and a seven-question self-report questionnaire.
– In total, 76 out of 158 questionnaires returned. The mean scores of SDQ were lower than those reported in China, Hong Kong and UK. Only 43 per cent of parents knew how to seek psychiatric help if they suspect their children have mental health problems. Also, almost one-third of the parents believed that language barrier would be an obstacle for them to seek help.
– This is the first study in UK to look at the mental health of Chinese children and young people from their parents’ perspectives. This is also the first study in UK to compare their mental health wellbeing (via using SDQ) with their counterparts in other countries. This study has brought some clarity and new information to light about this ethnic minority group.
