Cultural honor and mental health in British South Asians: The protective effects of psychological resilience and identity resilience

British South Asians can be thought of as belonging to honor cultures in which the group’s social image and reputation are central to its identity. This cross-sectional survey study, based on data from 304 British South Asians, examines the relations between aspects of cultural honor, potential protective factors, and the mental health variables of depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction using hierarchical multiple regression. Perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honor and to have an arranged marriage were associated positively, and resilience and identity resilience negatively, with depression. Being female and perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honor and to have an arranged marriage were associated positively, and resilience (but not identity resilience) negatively, with anxiety. Being partnered, religiousness, and identity resilience (but not resilience) were associated positively, and perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honor negatively, with life satisfaction. The results suggest that perceived parental pressure to maintain cultural honor is harmful for mental health and that resilience and identity resilience, conversely, have differential protective effects for mental health. Interventions that support individuals to develop resilience and identity resilience may mitigate the harmful effects upon mental health of family pressures in relation to cultural honor.