Exploring the Mental Health Experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black Youth in London, Ontario
Abstract
This qualitative study explores the mental health experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) youth in London, Ontario, investigating how the factors of race, gender, culture, and place have shaped their perceptions and experiences of mental health. The data collection and analysis were conducted using a phenomenological approach and a critical lens informed by feminist, intersectionality, and critical race theories. These data illuminate the ways in which these young people’s attitudes toward mental health and help-seeking strategies are impacted by broader social constructs and community expectations, which they navigate and often resist in their everyday lives. Their insights can provide assurance to ACB youth in other Canadian cities that they are not isolated in their experiences. These data also contribute new knowledge to the emerging literature on Black youth across the African and Caribbean diaspora and may be used to inform future mental health policies and programs in Canada.