Ida Kaplan - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Ida Kaplan
Laws, Aug 31, 2019
Refugee children are identified as rights-bearers by the United Nations Convention on the Rights ... more Refugee children are identified as rights-bearers by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), but their rights are not uniformly honored in the policies and practices of contemporary states. How the CRC's safeguards for refugee children's rights are honored depends partly on what it means to be 'a refugee child' and partly on how the claims of refugee children's rights are recognized, respected, and implemented in international and national legal and bureaucratic systems. We examine the CRC's affirmation of the rights of the child and analyze the CRC's articles in relation to the rights related to the life circumstances of refugee children and state responsibilities. Following an analysis of resistance to the CRC's mandates by contemporary states, we relate refugee children's rights to their refugee and developmental experiences and argue for repositioning refugee children into the center of protection dialogue and practice, internationally and nationally.
Transcultural Psychiatry, Aug 8, 2022
Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with signi... more Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with significant people. They are not usually asked about their perspectives although they are social agents with distinctive perspectives and feelings about relationships and events. We investigated the perspectives of refugee children on their experiences of places and relations as they resettled in Australia after their families fled from violence in Syria and Iraq and transitioned through Middle Eastern countries. One hundred-and-nine children chose to work with a computer program in either English or Arabic. They sorted feelings associated with home, school, and where they lived before and rated being nurtured at home. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five subgroups of children with distinctive patterns in their sorting of eight feelings for three places. Three subgroups had patterns of positive feelings about home and school. Two smaller subgroups had mixed, ambivalent feelings about either school or home. One subgroup was strongly positive, and two others were negative about before settlement. Subgroups identified on their sortings of feelings differed in their experiences of being nurtured, with positive feelings of places related to higher ratings of being nurtured at home. The study points to the importance of children's perspectives and feelings in how they interpret experiences with people and places and argues against assuming that refugee children are homogeneous in their experiences or perspectives.
Journal of Human Rights Practice, Oct 5, 2015
Child Indicators Research, Dec 23, 2010
... A range of socio-economic factors are routinely taken into account which include financial,ed... more ... A range of socio-economic factors are routinely taken into account which include financial,educational, health, legal ... specific to anxiety (f.1 to f.2, Table 1). They appeared related to grief ... behaviours, also identified in participants' accounts, can be caused by the same factors (i.1 ...
Transcultural Psychiatry, Jul 1, 2012
In this paper we review research evidence on psychosocial interventions for adult survivors of to... more In this paper we review research evidence on psychosocial interventions for adult survivors of torture and trauma. We identified 40 studies from 1980 to 2010 that investigated interventions for adult survivors of torture and trauma. Population subtypes include resettled refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, and persons resident in their country of origin. Settings include specialized services for torture and trauma, specialized tertiary referral clinics, community settings, university settings, as well as psychiatric and multidisciplinary mental health services. Interventions were delivered as individual or group treatments and lasted from a single session to 19 years duration. The studies employed randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized comparison studies and single cohort follow-up studies. In all, 36 of the 40 studies (90%) demonstrated significant improvements on at least one outcome indicator after an intervention. Most studies (60%) included participants who had high levels of posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Improvements in symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms were found following a range of interventions. Little evidence was available with regard to the effect on treatment outcomes of the amount, type, or length of treatment, the influence of patient characteristics, maintenance of treatment effects, and treatment outcomes other than psychiatric symptomatology. The review highlights the need for more carefully designed research that addresses the shortcomings of current studies and that integrates the experience of expert practitioners.
International Journal of Inclusive Education, May 10, 2023
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jan 30, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Global Health Promotion, Jul 4, 2023
This study describes the extent, quality and cultural appropriateness of current research on the ... more This study describes the extent, quality and cultural appropriateness of current research on the health conditions of refugee children aged 0–6 years settled in high-income countries. A systematic review was conducted, including original articles published on the health conditions experienced by refugee children. A total of 71 papers were included. The studies varied considerably in their research design, population characteristics and health conditions. Studies included information on 37 different health conditions, with the majority non-communicable diseases, in particular growth, malnutrition and bone density. Although the studies identified a wide range of health issues, a coordinated effort to prioritise research on particular health topics was lacking, and health conditions studied do not align with the global burden of disease for this population. Additionally, despite being rated medium–high quality, most studies did not describe measures taken to ensure cultural competency and community involvement in their research. We suggest a coordinated research effort for this cohort, with greater emphasis on community engagement to improve the evidence-base of the health needs of refugee children after settlement.
Transcultural Psychiatry, Sep 23, 2016
While much literature documents the mental health needs of young people from refugee backgrounds,... more While much literature documents the mental health needs of young people from refugee backgrounds, and the barriers they face in accessing mental health services, researchers have yet to document the perspectives of service users from this population about their contacts with clinicians and services. We therefore individually interviewed 16 young people (aged 18-25 years) who were refugees about their experiences of seeing mental health professionals. Participants were born in 9 different countries and had lived in Australia for an average of 5.2 years. They placed most emphasis on in-session factors, and particularly on interpersonal considerations. Among the main themes identified via thematic analysis were the practitioner's sensitivity to the young person's cultural background and to the stressors affecting him or her, including traumatic refugee experiences, and the therapeutic relationship-especially the qualities of trust, understanding, respect, and a caring connection. The participants had diverse reactions to treatment strategies. They emphasised the role of their preconceptions around mental health services, and called for systematic mental health awareness-raising for young people from refugee backgrounds. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed with a focus on findings that may guide efforts to improve service acceptability, accessibility, and effectiveness. In particular, there is a need for practitioners to attend to their clients' experiences of sessions, to adopt an attuned, contextualised, systemic approach, and especially to take a nuanced approach to cultural sensitivity.
Human Development, 2019
Understanding the perspectives of refugee children on their lives is important for acknowledging ... more Understanding the perspectives of refugee children on their lives is important for acknowledging children’s rights, competence, and contributions to practice and policy. Children’s perspectives are the views they construct for framing events, relationships and images, and the meanings they convey in relational coactions with other people and institutions. We demonstrate the usefulness of digital technology in the form of computer-assisted interviews (CAIs) for enabling refugee children to express perspectives on their lives in resettlement. We describe how CAIs constructed by adopting a child’s perspective recognize the children’s agency and enable their expressions of their perspectives. We illustrate the facilities of CAIs with analyses of children’s ratings and open-ended typed comments about their worries and who helps them to feel better. Children’s views revealed the predominance of family members as sources of worry and help. We discuss the implications of using digital technology in research to provide children with ways of contributing to knowledge construction.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
In this paper, we examine relational interactions between refugee children and social institution... more In this paper, we examine relational interactions between refugee children and social institutions, building the case for the recognition of the co-occurrence and intertwining of vulnerability and agency in children’s experiences in diverse refugee situations. This developmental relational approach offers refinement of a general relational worldview by specifying how vulnerable and agentic experiences are co-constructed by children and adult individuals and institutions. We analyze the conceptual roots of vulnerable and agentic experiences, and use the concept of co-construction to specify the processes and outcomes of interactive relational experiences. Evidence from example studies of the intertwining of vulnerability and agency in specific refugee situations demonstrates how refugee children contribute to power-oriented experiences. Due recognition of the relational co-construction of intertwining vulnerable and agentic experiences provides a basis for refining generalized relati...
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, Apr 27, 2017
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), routinely used to screen for children's and a... more The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), routinely used to screen for children's and adolescents' emotional and behavioural problems, has been translated into at least 80 languages. As children of refugee background are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems resulting from their refugee experiences, this review examines whether SDQs translated into languages spoken by major refugee groups are validated and culturally equivalent to the original SDQ and sensitive to change following interventions. No reviewed studies of translated SDQs reported on challenges in achieving conceptual and linguistic equivalence in translation. Factor analysis predominantly showed structural inequivalence with the original 5-factor model, suggesting translated SDQ subscales may measure different constructs. Predictive equivalence findings tended to show somewhat higher sensitivity for detecting disorder than the original SDQ's low sensitivity, and somewhat lower specificity. Outcome studies yielded equivocal results with refugee and immigrant groups. SDQ items do not detect the psychological sequelae of trauma; hence it is recommended that the SDQ be used with caution to screen refugee children, with a followup clinical interview for verification. Cross-cultural qualitative research is needed into parents' and adolescents' interpretation of translated SDQ items.
Transcultural Psychiatry
Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with signi... more Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with significant people. They are not usually asked about their perspectives although they are social agents with distinctive perspectives and feelings about relationships and events. We investigated the perspectives of refugee children on their experiences of places and relations as they resettled in Australia after their families fled from violence in Syria and Iraq and transitioned through Middle Eastern countries. One hundred-and-nine children chose to work with a computer program in either English or Arabic. They sorted feelings associated with home, school, and where they lived before and rated being nurtured at home. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five subgroups of children with distinctive patterns in their sorting of eight feelings for three places. Three subgroups had patterns of positive feelings about home and school. Two smaller subgroups had mixed, ambivalent feelings about e...
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2020
BACKGROUND Climate change is anticipated to have profound effects on mental health, particularly ... more BACKGROUND Climate change is anticipated to have profound effects on mental health, particularly among populations that are simultaneously ecologically and economically vulnerable to its impacts. Various pathways through which climate change can impact mental health have been theorised, but the impacts themselves remain understudied. PURPOSE In this article we applied psychological methods to examine if climate change is affecting individuals' mental health in the Small Island Developing State of Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation regarded as exceptionally vulnerable to climate change. We determined the presence of psychological distress and associated impairment attributed to two categories of climate change-related stressors in particular: 1) local environmental impacts caused or exacerbated by climate change, and 2) hearing about global climate change and contemplating its future implications. METHODS The findings draw on data collected in a mixed-method study involving 100 Tuvaluan participants. Data were collected via face-to-face structured interviews that lasted 45 min on average and were subjected to descriptive, correlational, and between-group analyses. RESULTS The findings revealed participants' experiences of distress in relation to both types of stressor, and demonstrated that a high proportion of participants are experiencing psychological distress at levels that reportedly cause them impairment in one or more areas of daily life. CONCLUSIONS The findings lend weight to the claim that climate change represents a risk to mental health and obliges decision-makers to consider these risks when conceptualizing climate-related harms or tallying the costs of inaction.
BMJ Open
IntroductionPregnancy and early parenthood are key opportunities for interaction with health serv... more IntroductionPregnancy and early parenthood are key opportunities for interaction with health services and connecting to other families at the same life stage. Public antenatal care should be accessible to all, however barriers persist for families from refugee communities to access, navigate and optimise healthcare during pregnancy. Group Pregnancy Care is an innovative model of care codesigned with a community from a refugee background and other key stakeholders in Melbourne, Australia. Group Pregnancy Care aims to provide a culturally safe and supportive environment for women to participate in antenatal care in a language they understand, to improve health literacy and promote social connections and inclusion. This paper outlines Froup Pregnancy Care and provides details of the evaluation framework.Methods and analysisThe evaluation uses community-based participatory research methods to engage stakeholders in codesign of evaluation methods. The study is being conducted across mult...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
In this paper we analyze the contemporary ambivalence to child migration identified by Jacqueline... more In this paper we analyze the contemporary ambivalence to child migration identified by Jacqueline Bhabha and propose a developmental relational approach that repositions child refugees as active participants and rights-bearers in society. Ambivalence involves tensions between protection of refugee children and protection of national borders, public services and entrenched images. Unresolved ambivalence supports failures to honor the rights of refugee children according to international law and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. There is failure to protect and include them in national public services and in international coordination of public health and wellbeing. We identify misrepresentations of childhood and refugeeness that lie behind ambivalence and the equitable organization and delivery of public services for health and wellbeing. With illustrative studies, we propose a developmental relational framework for understanding refugee children’s contributions in the soc...
Background: A range of services within Australia and internationally have been developed that are... more Background: A range of services within Australia and internationally have been developed that are focused on the engagement of individuals who are of refugee background to work as a liaison between their communities and mental health services. The Community Liaison Worker (CLW) role at the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST) was developed in 2008 in order to engage in such capacity-building initiatives. Aims To review and document the establishment, evolution and current status of the VFST CLW role, and examine the perspectives of CLWs on their role in trauma-informed community capacity-building. Methods The study comprised of two stages: a historical case study of the development of the CLW role, and a qualitative research study based on interviews with CLWs in order to identify key themes regarding various aspects of their role and understand the facilitators and barriers to their work of trauma-informed capacity-building with their respective communities. Results...
All human interaction, including the interaction involved in human research, has ethical dimensio... more All human interaction, including the interaction involved in human research, has ethical dimensions. However, 'ethical conduct' is more than simply doing the right thing. It involves acting in the right spirit, out of an abiding respect and concern for one's fellow creatures.
In diesem Beitrag beschaftigten wir uns mit dem Wohlbefinden von vier nichtbegleiteten minderjahr... more In diesem Beitrag beschaftigten wir uns mit dem Wohlbefinden von vier nichtbegleiteten minderjahrigen Fluchtlingen nach ihrer Ankunft in Australien, deren Perspektiven mittels eines Computergestutzten Interviews (CI) erhoben wurden. Die entlang von CI-Fragen und -Aufgaben erhobenen Daten wurden in Tabellen als Komplett-Transkripte prasentiert und einer Textanalyse unterzogen. Ahnlichkeiten und Unterschiede zwischen den individuell relevanten Themen und Sorgen, bezogen auf die Ansiedelung in der neuen Heimat, konnten so herausgearbeitet werden. Alle Jugendlichen beklagten die Trennung von ihren Herkunftsfamilien. Dies betraf vor allem zwei weibliche Fluchtlinge und deren intensive Auseinandersetzung mit Fragen des Getrenntseins und Wiederzusammenkommens mit ihren Familien und damit einhergehenden emotionalen und Verhaltensproblemen. Die beiden jungen Manner beschaftigte neben familiaren Sorgen vor allem die Moglichkeit der eigenen Aus- und Weiterbildung. Die CI-Nutzung wird vor alle...
Laws, Aug 31, 2019
Refugee children are identified as rights-bearers by the United Nations Convention on the Rights ... more Refugee children are identified as rights-bearers by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), but their rights are not uniformly honored in the policies and practices of contemporary states. How the CRC's safeguards for refugee children's rights are honored depends partly on what it means to be 'a refugee child' and partly on how the claims of refugee children's rights are recognized, respected, and implemented in international and national legal and bureaucratic systems. We examine the CRC's affirmation of the rights of the child and analyze the CRC's articles in relation to the rights related to the life circumstances of refugee children and state responsibilities. Following an analysis of resistance to the CRC's mandates by contemporary states, we relate refugee children's rights to their refugee and developmental experiences and argue for repositioning refugee children into the center of protection dialogue and practice, internationally and nationally.
Transcultural Psychiatry, Aug 8, 2022
Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with signi... more Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with significant people. They are not usually asked about their perspectives although they are social agents with distinctive perspectives and feelings about relationships and events. We investigated the perspectives of refugee children on their experiences of places and relations as they resettled in Australia after their families fled from violence in Syria and Iraq and transitioned through Middle Eastern countries. One hundred-and-nine children chose to work with a computer program in either English or Arabic. They sorted feelings associated with home, school, and where they lived before and rated being nurtured at home. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five subgroups of children with distinctive patterns in their sorting of eight feelings for three places. Three subgroups had patterns of positive feelings about home and school. Two smaller subgroups had mixed, ambivalent feelings about either school or home. One subgroup was strongly positive, and two others were negative about before settlement. Subgroups identified on their sortings of feelings differed in their experiences of being nurtured, with positive feelings of places related to higher ratings of being nurtured at home. The study points to the importance of children's perspectives and feelings in how they interpret experiences with people and places and argues against assuming that refugee children are homogeneous in their experiences or perspectives.
Journal of Human Rights Practice, Oct 5, 2015
Child Indicators Research, Dec 23, 2010
... A range of socio-economic factors are routinely taken into account which include financial,ed... more ... A range of socio-economic factors are routinely taken into account which include financial,educational, health, legal ... specific to anxiety (f.1 to f.2, Table 1). They appeared related to grief ... behaviours, also identified in participants' accounts, can be caused by the same factors (i.1 ...
Transcultural Psychiatry, Jul 1, 2012
In this paper we review research evidence on psychosocial interventions for adult survivors of to... more In this paper we review research evidence on psychosocial interventions for adult survivors of torture and trauma. We identified 40 studies from 1980 to 2010 that investigated interventions for adult survivors of torture and trauma. Population subtypes include resettled refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, and persons resident in their country of origin. Settings include specialized services for torture and trauma, specialized tertiary referral clinics, community settings, university settings, as well as psychiatric and multidisciplinary mental health services. Interventions were delivered as individual or group treatments and lasted from a single session to 19 years duration. The studies employed randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized comparison studies and single cohort follow-up studies. In all, 36 of the 40 studies (90%) demonstrated significant improvements on at least one outcome indicator after an intervention. Most studies (60%) included participants who had high levels of posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Improvements in symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms were found following a range of interventions. Little evidence was available with regard to the effect on treatment outcomes of the amount, type, or length of treatment, the influence of patient characteristics, maintenance of treatment effects, and treatment outcomes other than psychiatric symptomatology. The review highlights the need for more carefully designed research that addresses the shortcomings of current studies and that integrates the experience of expert practitioners.
International Journal of Inclusive Education, May 10, 2023
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jan 30, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Global Health Promotion, Jul 4, 2023
This study describes the extent, quality and cultural appropriateness of current research on the ... more This study describes the extent, quality and cultural appropriateness of current research on the health conditions of refugee children aged 0–6 years settled in high-income countries. A systematic review was conducted, including original articles published on the health conditions experienced by refugee children. A total of 71 papers were included. The studies varied considerably in their research design, population characteristics and health conditions. Studies included information on 37 different health conditions, with the majority non-communicable diseases, in particular growth, malnutrition and bone density. Although the studies identified a wide range of health issues, a coordinated effort to prioritise research on particular health topics was lacking, and health conditions studied do not align with the global burden of disease for this population. Additionally, despite being rated medium–high quality, most studies did not describe measures taken to ensure cultural competency and community involvement in their research. We suggest a coordinated research effort for this cohort, with greater emphasis on community engagement to improve the evidence-base of the health needs of refugee children after settlement.
Transcultural Psychiatry, Sep 23, 2016
While much literature documents the mental health needs of young people from refugee backgrounds,... more While much literature documents the mental health needs of young people from refugee backgrounds, and the barriers they face in accessing mental health services, researchers have yet to document the perspectives of service users from this population about their contacts with clinicians and services. We therefore individually interviewed 16 young people (aged 18-25 years) who were refugees about their experiences of seeing mental health professionals. Participants were born in 9 different countries and had lived in Australia for an average of 5.2 years. They placed most emphasis on in-session factors, and particularly on interpersonal considerations. Among the main themes identified via thematic analysis were the practitioner's sensitivity to the young person's cultural background and to the stressors affecting him or her, including traumatic refugee experiences, and the therapeutic relationship-especially the qualities of trust, understanding, respect, and a caring connection. The participants had diverse reactions to treatment strategies. They emphasised the role of their preconceptions around mental health services, and called for systematic mental health awareness-raising for young people from refugee backgrounds. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed with a focus on findings that may guide efforts to improve service acceptability, accessibility, and effectiveness. In particular, there is a need for practitioners to attend to their clients' experiences of sessions, to adopt an attuned, contextualised, systemic approach, and especially to take a nuanced approach to cultural sensitivity.
Human Development, 2019
Understanding the perspectives of refugee children on their lives is important for acknowledging ... more Understanding the perspectives of refugee children on their lives is important for acknowledging children’s rights, competence, and contributions to practice and policy. Children’s perspectives are the views they construct for framing events, relationships and images, and the meanings they convey in relational coactions with other people and institutions. We demonstrate the usefulness of digital technology in the form of computer-assisted interviews (CAIs) for enabling refugee children to express perspectives on their lives in resettlement. We describe how CAIs constructed by adopting a child’s perspective recognize the children’s agency and enable their expressions of their perspectives. We illustrate the facilities of CAIs with analyses of children’s ratings and open-ended typed comments about their worries and who helps them to feel better. Children’s views revealed the predominance of family members as sources of worry and help. We discuss the implications of using digital technology in research to provide children with ways of contributing to knowledge construction.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
In this paper, we examine relational interactions between refugee children and social institution... more In this paper, we examine relational interactions between refugee children and social institutions, building the case for the recognition of the co-occurrence and intertwining of vulnerability and agency in children’s experiences in diverse refugee situations. This developmental relational approach offers refinement of a general relational worldview by specifying how vulnerable and agentic experiences are co-constructed by children and adult individuals and institutions. We analyze the conceptual roots of vulnerable and agentic experiences, and use the concept of co-construction to specify the processes and outcomes of interactive relational experiences. Evidence from example studies of the intertwining of vulnerability and agency in specific refugee situations demonstrates how refugee children contribute to power-oriented experiences. Due recognition of the relational co-construction of intertwining vulnerable and agentic experiences provides a basis for refining generalized relati...
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, Apr 27, 2017
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), routinely used to screen for children's and a... more The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), routinely used to screen for children's and adolescents' emotional and behavioural problems, has been translated into at least 80 languages. As children of refugee background are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems resulting from their refugee experiences, this review examines whether SDQs translated into languages spoken by major refugee groups are validated and culturally equivalent to the original SDQ and sensitive to change following interventions. No reviewed studies of translated SDQs reported on challenges in achieving conceptual and linguistic equivalence in translation. Factor analysis predominantly showed structural inequivalence with the original 5-factor model, suggesting translated SDQ subscales may measure different constructs. Predictive equivalence findings tended to show somewhat higher sensitivity for detecting disorder than the original SDQ's low sensitivity, and somewhat lower specificity. Outcome studies yielded equivocal results with refugee and immigrant groups. SDQ items do not detect the psychological sequelae of trauma; hence it is recommended that the SDQ be used with caution to screen refugee children, with a followup clinical interview for verification. Cross-cultural qualitative research is needed into parents' and adolescents' interpretation of translated SDQ items.
Transcultural Psychiatry
Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with signi... more Refugee children's experiences are situated in specific places where they interact with significant people. They are not usually asked about their perspectives although they are social agents with distinctive perspectives and feelings about relationships and events. We investigated the perspectives of refugee children on their experiences of places and relations as they resettled in Australia after their families fled from violence in Syria and Iraq and transitioned through Middle Eastern countries. One hundred-and-nine children chose to work with a computer program in either English or Arabic. They sorted feelings associated with home, school, and where they lived before and rated being nurtured at home. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five subgroups of children with distinctive patterns in their sorting of eight feelings for three places. Three subgroups had patterns of positive feelings about home and school. Two smaller subgroups had mixed, ambivalent feelings about e...
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2020
BACKGROUND Climate change is anticipated to have profound effects on mental health, particularly ... more BACKGROUND Climate change is anticipated to have profound effects on mental health, particularly among populations that are simultaneously ecologically and economically vulnerable to its impacts. Various pathways through which climate change can impact mental health have been theorised, but the impacts themselves remain understudied. PURPOSE In this article we applied psychological methods to examine if climate change is affecting individuals' mental health in the Small Island Developing State of Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation regarded as exceptionally vulnerable to climate change. We determined the presence of psychological distress and associated impairment attributed to two categories of climate change-related stressors in particular: 1) local environmental impacts caused or exacerbated by climate change, and 2) hearing about global climate change and contemplating its future implications. METHODS The findings draw on data collected in a mixed-method study involving 100 Tuvaluan participants. Data were collected via face-to-face structured interviews that lasted 45 min on average and were subjected to descriptive, correlational, and between-group analyses. RESULTS The findings revealed participants' experiences of distress in relation to both types of stressor, and demonstrated that a high proportion of participants are experiencing psychological distress at levels that reportedly cause them impairment in one or more areas of daily life. CONCLUSIONS The findings lend weight to the claim that climate change represents a risk to mental health and obliges decision-makers to consider these risks when conceptualizing climate-related harms or tallying the costs of inaction.
BMJ Open
IntroductionPregnancy and early parenthood are key opportunities for interaction with health serv... more IntroductionPregnancy and early parenthood are key opportunities for interaction with health services and connecting to other families at the same life stage. Public antenatal care should be accessible to all, however barriers persist for families from refugee communities to access, navigate and optimise healthcare during pregnancy. Group Pregnancy Care is an innovative model of care codesigned with a community from a refugee background and other key stakeholders in Melbourne, Australia. Group Pregnancy Care aims to provide a culturally safe and supportive environment for women to participate in antenatal care in a language they understand, to improve health literacy and promote social connections and inclusion. This paper outlines Froup Pregnancy Care and provides details of the evaluation framework.Methods and analysisThe evaluation uses community-based participatory research methods to engage stakeholders in codesign of evaluation methods. The study is being conducted across mult...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
In this paper we analyze the contemporary ambivalence to child migration identified by Jacqueline... more In this paper we analyze the contemporary ambivalence to child migration identified by Jacqueline Bhabha and propose a developmental relational approach that repositions child refugees as active participants and rights-bearers in society. Ambivalence involves tensions between protection of refugee children and protection of national borders, public services and entrenched images. Unresolved ambivalence supports failures to honor the rights of refugee children according to international law and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. There is failure to protect and include them in national public services and in international coordination of public health and wellbeing. We identify misrepresentations of childhood and refugeeness that lie behind ambivalence and the equitable organization and delivery of public services for health and wellbeing. With illustrative studies, we propose a developmental relational framework for understanding refugee children’s contributions in the soc...
Background: A range of services within Australia and internationally have been developed that are... more Background: A range of services within Australia and internationally have been developed that are focused on the engagement of individuals who are of refugee background to work as a liaison between their communities and mental health services. The Community Liaison Worker (CLW) role at the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST) was developed in 2008 in order to engage in such capacity-building initiatives. Aims To review and document the establishment, evolution and current status of the VFST CLW role, and examine the perspectives of CLWs on their role in trauma-informed community capacity-building. Methods The study comprised of two stages: a historical case study of the development of the CLW role, and a qualitative research study based on interviews with CLWs in order to identify key themes regarding various aspects of their role and understand the facilitators and barriers to their work of trauma-informed capacity-building with their respective communities. Results...
All human interaction, including the interaction involved in human research, has ethical dimensio... more All human interaction, including the interaction involved in human research, has ethical dimensions. However, 'ethical conduct' is more than simply doing the right thing. It involves acting in the right spirit, out of an abiding respect and concern for one's fellow creatures.
In diesem Beitrag beschaftigten wir uns mit dem Wohlbefinden von vier nichtbegleiteten minderjahr... more In diesem Beitrag beschaftigten wir uns mit dem Wohlbefinden von vier nichtbegleiteten minderjahrigen Fluchtlingen nach ihrer Ankunft in Australien, deren Perspektiven mittels eines Computergestutzten Interviews (CI) erhoben wurden. Die entlang von CI-Fragen und -Aufgaben erhobenen Daten wurden in Tabellen als Komplett-Transkripte prasentiert und einer Textanalyse unterzogen. Ahnlichkeiten und Unterschiede zwischen den individuell relevanten Themen und Sorgen, bezogen auf die Ansiedelung in der neuen Heimat, konnten so herausgearbeitet werden. Alle Jugendlichen beklagten die Trennung von ihren Herkunftsfamilien. Dies betraf vor allem zwei weibliche Fluchtlinge und deren intensive Auseinandersetzung mit Fragen des Getrenntseins und Wiederzusammenkommens mit ihren Familien und damit einhergehenden emotionalen und Verhaltensproblemen. Die beiden jungen Manner beschaftigte neben familiaren Sorgen vor allem die Moglichkeit der eigenen Aus- und Weiterbildung. Die CI-Nutzung wird vor alle...