Cultural identity, acculturation, and mental health among adolescents in east London's multiethnic community.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate cultural identity as a risk factor for mental health problems among adolescents.


METHODS
A cross sectional school based population survey. Mental health problems were measured using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Pupils were classified into one of four cultural identity types on the basis of friendship and clothing choices.


METHODS
East London.


METHODS
2623 adolescents (aged 11-14) from a representative sample of 28 schools in east London.


RESULTS
In comparison with marginalised adolescents who chose friends from neither their own or other cultures, fewer mental health problems were found among adolescents making culturally integrated friendship choices (friends from own and other cultures: OR = 0.6, 0.4 to 0.9), boys making integrated friendship choices (OR = 0.45, 0.22 to 0.91), and specifically among Bangladeshi pupils with integrated friendship choices (OR = 0.15, 0.04 to 0.55).


CONCLUSIONS
As measures of cultural identity, integrated friendship choices overall, and specifically for boys and Bangladeshi pupils, are associated with lower levels of adolescent mental health problems.
Bhui
Kamaldeep
K
Centre for Psychiatry, Institute of Community Health Sciences, Queen Mary, London E1 4NS, UK. k.s.bhui@qmul.ac.uk
Stansfeld
Stephen
S
Head
Jenny
J
Haines
Mary
M
Hillier
Sheila
S
Taylor
Stephanie
S
Viner
Russell
R
Booy
Robert
R
D000293:Adolescent; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000208:ethnology; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D003020:Clothing; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000208:ethnology; D010379:Peer Group; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012737:Sex Factors; D012933:Social Identification; D044465:White People