Mental health, service use and social capital among Indian-Australians: findings of a wellbeing survey

Objective: Indian-Australians represent a distinct immigrant group both demographically and culturally. Yet, despite an expanding body of research on transcultural mental health in Australia, there is a paucity of studies regarding mental health of Indian-Australians. This paper explores the extent of psychological morbidity and related service use in a representative sample of Indian-Australians. It further examines the association of mental health with social participation and networking in this ethnic community. Method: Measures to assess current levels of psychological distress, functional disability, service use, and social capital were administered in a random sample of 71 Indian-Australian family groups living in Sydney. Results: Amongst participants, 15% reported high to very high levels of psychological distress. Psychological distress was associated with increased days of functional disability and higher levels of functional impairment, and an increased likelihood of a GP consultation. However, 91% of participants with identifiable mental health needs did not seek any mental health consultation. Social capital was not found to be a significant predictor of psychological health or service use in this sample. Conclusion: Psychological morbidity in the Indian-Australian community is associated with high levels of functional disability, both in number of days and extent of severity, but only a small proportion seeks mental health help.