Healing and Honour: Cultural Masculinity and Psychological Help Seeking Among South Asian Immigrant Men in Canada
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Authors
Hussain, Zain
Issue Date
2026-02
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
South Asian men , masculinity norms , help-seeking behavior , help seeking , izzat (honour) , acculturative stress , community surveillance , emotional containment , minority masculinity stress , precarious manhood , Canada
Alternative Title
Abstract
This capstone is a thematic literature review investigating how cultural masculinity and community reputation serve as barriers to formal mental healthcare utilization in South Asian immigrant men in Canada. Although South Asians represent the largest visible minority group in the country, they remain significantly underserved in mental health sectors and often face unique stressors related to migration and their identity. Using a thematic analysis framework, this capstone examines how internalized behavioural norms, such as the role of being the provider and maintaining emotional restraint, act as filters for navigating the healthcare system. The findings suggest that help seeking is rarely an individual choice but rather a negotiated act dictated by family honour and the fear of social monitoring, summarized by the phrase "what will people say." Men frequently deploy informal coping strategies that serve as a form of containment, such as faith-based coping and selective disclosure to peers, to preserve their authority and reputation within the community. As a result, formal entry into clinical care is often delayed until these private coping strategies fail, leading to crisis-driven entries. To bridge the gap between Western therapeutic models and this group’s cultural reality, in this capstone, I introduce an integrated conceptual model of help seeking. This framework offers a five-phase assessment tool and actionable recommendations, including a curriculum for nonclinical gatekeepers. By reframing vulnerability as a collective concern as opposed to medical failure, this capstone provides a roadmap for clinicians and community liaisons to improve engagement and outcomes for South Asian men.