Mental health in British South Asians: The effects of cultural honour, social identification, and resilience

British South Asians can be thought of as belonging to honour cultures in which the group’s social image and reputation are central to its identity. This cross-sectional survey study, based on data from 304 British South Asians, examines the effects of cultural honour, social identification, and aspects of resilience upon the mental health variables of depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction using hierarchical multiple regression. Perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honour and to have an arranged marriage were associated with higher depression, and psychological resilience and identity resilience were associated with lower depression. Being female and perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honour and to have an arranged marriage were associated with higher anxiety, and psychological resilience (but not identity resilience) were associated with lower anxiety. Being partnered, religiousness, and identity resilience (but not psychological resilience) were associated with higher life satisfaction, and perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honour was associated with lower life satisfaction. The results suggest that perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honour is harmful for mental health and that psychological resilience and identity resilience, conversely, have differential protective effects. Interventions to enhance mental health in British South Asians should focus on building psychological resilience and identity resilience, especially in the face of pressures associated with cultural honour.