THE ZUBIN FOUNDATION Improves the lives of Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities by reducing suffering and providing opportunities
CASE STUDIES ON SUPPORTING ETHNIC MINORITIES WITH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS #1 SABIA: STRESS OF MANAGING BIG FAMILY BACKGROUND Sameena is 36 years old married female, from Pakistan. She has been living in HK for almost 16 years, and came here shortly after she was married. She got married after graduating from high school and could not pursue further education as her husband did not allow it. She used to play sports while at school and she loves traveling, and hiking; however, she could not continue with any of her hobbies after her marriage. She has 6 kids. The eldest daughter is 15 years old and the youngest is just 2 years old. 2 of her sons (6 and 10 years) are hyperactive and have fallen behind in their studies. She keeps receiving complaints from school about them fighting and their low marks. She has tried disciplining them but the situation has not changed. Her husband is her first cousin and he cannot tolerate the misbehavior of his children and blames Sabia for it. He lost his job during the pandemic and has been doing some part-time jobs since then. There is little communication between the couple and he prefers spending time with his friends rather than at home. Sabia’s sister is in Hong Kong but she is busy with her own family and cannot offer much help to Sabia. Her parents-in-law in Pakistan always blame her for their children’s shortcomings and expect her to fix the situation alone. Sabia feels totally exhausted taking care of her kids all by herself. She always complains of headaches, backache, and low energy while doing chores, especially after her last pregnancy. She feels sad and alone, which leads to crying spells as she feels underappreciated.. She constantly worries about the future of her sons and how to control their aggression. Her own outbursts are frequent, especially towards her kids, and she feels helpless as nothing seems to be working. She has many sleepless nights and has lost weight as a result. She visits the General Out-Patient Clinic (GOPC) at the public hospital every other week to get help with her headache but does not feel any better. One time the doctor at the GOPC referred her to a social worker at the clinic after noticing her record of frequent visits. She was hesitant to talk about the family matters but went to see the social worker as her friend insisted. ISSUES FACED BY CLIENT • Stress of taking care of the big family • Lack of communication and support from the husband • Being blamed for children’s issues • Children with behavioral issues, possibility with special educational needs • No time for herself • Mental health symptoms • Physical symptoms • Unable to pursue further education after marriage WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP • Emotional awareness • Stress management/anger management • Recognising unhelpful thought patterns • Accepting situations that she cannot change while focusing on those that she can • Time management • Assertiveness • Encouraging Self-care, hobbies, taking some time out for herself, exercise, involvement in the community • Delegation of work • Exploring alternative routes for helping her kids The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation Limited, known as The Zubin Foundation (registered charity in Hong Kong - IR 91/12344). 小彬紀念基金會 (香港註冊慈善機構 IR 91/12344) 。 Unit 5F, High Fashion Centre, No. 1 Kwai Hei Street, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong 香港葵涌葵喜街 1 號達利國際中心 5 樓 F 室。 Tel 電話: +852 2540 9588 E-mail 電郵: info@zubinfoundation.org Website 網址: www.zubinfoundation.org © 2023 The Zubin Mahtani Gidumal Foundation Limited (registered charity in Hong Kong - IR 91/12344). All rights reserved.