Title: Differential Acculturation and its Impact on Well Being among Bangladeshi Migrants Living at Different Densities in the UK
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Migration has a significant effect on social and physical well being across the life course. Migrants generally move expecting improved conditions including access to higher levels of education, employment, public services, and health care. The process of acculturation can play a major role in determining well being, particularly for first-generation migrants. It refers to the means by which a minority population adapts to its host culture to include behaviour (such as language, clothing, and social interactions) and beliefs/attitudes prevalent in daily life (such as religious and national identities). Acculturation is thus a measure reflecting social integration, exposure to discrimination, and cultural transitions. Current census and public health data indicate that migrant Bangladeshis in the UK report higher rates of poor health and long term disabilities relative to white British Europeans, but it is unclear whether these complaints reflect conditions brought from Bangladesh or experienced in the UK perhaps in relation to the migration/acculturation experience. Our proposed project thus comprises an in-depth comparison of the acculturation experiences of multiple generations of British Bangladeshis settled in Northeast UK (NE UK) and London, and its sequelae for mental and physiological well being. Prior researchers have suggested that migrants embedded in large communities are buffered from those stressors connected to migration and acculturation. This is certainly applicable to London Bangladeshis, but we know little about the comparative experiences of similar migrants living in areas with small ethnic minority concentrations. The purpose of this cross-regional study is therefore to compare acculturation and related well being of migrant Bangladeshis in: 1) a densely settled minority context (London), and 2) a sparsely settled context (NE UK). Through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions we will collate and analyse data regarding migration history, acculturation, perceived discrimination, lifestyle and self-reported well being of these UK British-Bangladeshis. Data will be supplemented by salivary biomarkers of stress (cortisol) and health (C-reactive protein). The combined use of these in-depth qualitative and quantitative data is novel in migrant studies, and will assist us in better assessing how migrant groups integrate into their new host country. Through identifying facilitators and/or barriers to acculturation and how these shape the relationships between cultural adaptation, integration and well being over time for Bangladeshi migrants in two disparate regions of the UK, our Project ultimately aims to provide specific recommendations to relevant professionals for the provision of better directed local and national services to migrant populations. This work expands successful research programmes (led by Profs Bentley and Curtis) examining the impact of migration on physiology, behaviour and well being in the UK Bangladeshi population. To complete the project proposed here, a team of researchers will spend three years conducting extensive fieldwork and data analyses. We will develop collaborations with academic and non-academic partners linked to public health, and will engage with local authorities (reflecting the existing ethos of our prior studies) to direct our findings toward appropriate modifications to local community structure and service provision. In sum, our long term aim is to ensure migration translates into optimal welfare and social integration. This represents a move toward attenuating social inequalities for which ethnic groups appear most vulnerable. Overall the project findings will have applicability for contexts relating to local, national and international migration particularly among South Asians in the UK. This work is novel and significant in comparing two very different UK regions and in integrating both qualitative and quantitative data.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH;GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE