Cultural influences are deeply rooted, and continue to affect the lives of Asian-Indian (AI) immigrants living inWestern culture. Emerging literature suggests the powerful nature of traditions and culture on the lives, mental and physical health of AI immigrants, particularly women. The purpose of this study was to explore depression among AI women in Central California (CC). This mixed-methods research was conducted in collaboration with the CC Punjabi community and the support of local religious leaders. All interviews were conducted in Punjabi and English. Whenever possible we utilized validated scales aligned with emerging themes from the qualitative data, which also provided contextualization to survey responses. In all we conducted 11 key informant interviews, four focus groups (n = 47) and a rigorously developed anonymous survey (n = 350). Social dynamics and traditional expectations including gendered roles significantly affected mental health among women participants. Subgroups along the lines of language choice (Punjabi vs. English) experience and report depression differently in part due to the highly stigmatized nature of mental health issues in this model minority community. The findings of this study highlight the importance of utilizing mixed methods to access hard to reach populations regarding sensitive topics such as mental health. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

immigrants Punjabi sikhs Gender Mental health Asian-indian Acculturation

information processing depression Punjab [India] immigrant India health disparity Health Status Disparities minority group mental health human Indian middle aged Asian continental ancestry group health status language ethnology interview Surveys and Questionnaires United States Humans migrant psychology California model male Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation Minority Groups female questionnaire cultural factor major clinical study adult expectation clergy cultural influence Focus Groups