Refugee Mental Health during the Asylum Waiting Process: A Qualitative Study of Turkish and Canadian Contexts (original) (raw)
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'Carrying Our Wounds': Mental Health and Well-being of Iranian Refugees in Canada
IRCC National Essay Challenge 2021, 2022
While the Iranian diaspora is among the largest migrant communities in Canada, the mental health and well-being of Iranians who came here as refugees have not been studied enough. This research looks into the lived experiences of Iranian refugees on mental health and well-being, to understand how refugee migration to Canada contextualizes these experiences. How do Iranian refugees define their lived experiences of mental health and well-being during and after migration to Canada? How do these experiences interact with refugees’ migration trajectories, existing social networks and communities, and needs for access to mental health-care? In-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews have been conducted with fifteen Iranian refugees in British Columbia to answer these questions. The results show that Iranian refugees frequently face various challenges regarding mental health and well-being, as well as multiple barriers to access to mental health-care. The refugees from Iran often suffer from trauma, loss and grief, depression, as well as stress and worry, resulting from the pre-migration persecution, as well as the forced migration and displacement. The participants experienced multiple barriers to access to mental health-care, including communication issues arising from the language barrier and the counsellor’s perceived social location, alongside the physical implications of the COVID-19 lockdowns. The essay is concluded with policy recommendations focused on the need for recognizing Iranian refugees’ pre-existing assumptions about Canada, addressing the complexities arising from the presence of a large Iranian community in Canada, and providing better access to mental health services for Iranian refugees.
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Psihijatrija danas, 2020
In the past few years the number of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers worldwide has increased dramatically. Serbia, as a mainly transit country currently hosts over 6,000 new asylum-seekers and refugees, over 26.200 refugees and 198.500 internally displaced persons from the ex-Yugoslavia region, and 1.950 persons at risk of statelessness. Migrants are often under acute and chronic stress. Many of them were traumatized in their homelands and during their journey, due to persecution, violence, and human right violations, and they are confronted with ongoing stressors in the exile countries. Extensive research has shown increased rates and substantial variability in the prevalence of short-term and long-term mental health problems among refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders are depression, anxiety, prolonged grief, somatoform disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, and disorders specifically related to stress, particularly posttrauma...
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Background: This study examined Afghan asylum seekers and refugees' experiences treated with an adapted version of the brief psychological intervention Problem Management Plus (aPM+) and explored which problems trouble them most, and how these problems in uence their daily functioning. It further examined how various standardized outcome measures correlate with these subjectively perceived problems. Method: This study is part of a larger research project (PIAAS study) and uses a multi-method approach consisting of two parts. First, it investigated the participants' self-identi ed problems and subjective functional impairment with quantitative and an qualitative assessments within the treatment and control group (n=88). Second, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews to gain a deeper understanding of personal experiences with aPM+ as well as suggestions for improvement with a subsample of the treatment group (n=24). Spearman correlations were applied for quantitative data and for qualitative data deductive and inductive approaches of thematic analysis were used. Results: We identi ed six main themes of self-perceived problems (post migration living di culties, general mental problems, interpersonal stressors, mental problems speci cally associated with stress, and somatic problems) and their consequences as well as subjective functional impairment. Standardized measures of general mental health, posttraumatic psychopathology, and quality of life did not correlate with the perceived intensity of the self-perceived problems. aPM+ was perceived mostly positively and few participants had recommendations for its improvement. Conclusion: The study aimed at giving a voice to Afghan trauma survivors to inform service providers and policy makers about their needs. Further, it includes their expertise to tailored interventions for their actual needs and its practical use. APM+ shows to be a positively perceived intervention that reduces subjective symptom burden and facilitate daily functioning. Thus, culture-sensitive treatments should be facilitated within (mental) health services to increase service use and (mental) health in a long run. Background Worldwide, Afghans represent one of the largest population of refugees and asylum seekers. More than 4.6 Million Afghan people live outside their country. In Europe, they represent the largest group of recent arrivals in the year 2020 [1]. They often grew up in a politically unsettled and insecure environment, and often faced violence, repression, and discrimination. Furthermore, Afghan refugees1 living in Austria or elsewhere are particularly vulnerable. Compared to refugees of other origin, people from Afghanistan have a lower average education and may have different mental health literacy approaches, which predicts poor mental health [2, 3]. Additionally, they have to wait longer for positive asylum decisions [4] and have lower chances obtaining asylum [5]. Considering these obstacles, it is important to understand the subjective perspective of Afghan refugees as their life experiences and living conditions may differ from any other group. To be able to offer psychosocial support that is perceived as helpful, mental health professionals need to understand their problems and their perceptions of psychological interventions. Importantly, this understanding should go beyond the typical procedure using only standardized questionnaires and checklists or diagnostic interviews. Previous reviews show varying prevalence rates of mental health disorders in refugees [6-8]. Nevertheless, they undoubtfully show a substantially increased risk of experiencing mental health disorders [9, 10], in comparison to the general population. Experienced hardships and traumatic events in their home country, during ight, and in the host-country (post migration living di culties; PMLD) contribute to symptoms of distress [11] and functional impairment [12]. PMLD and their impact on the individuals' stress level differ according to the given circumstances in the speci c host-country [13]. Further, it needs to be considered that high-income countries strongly in uence concepts of mental health disorders, their assessment, and treatment interventions and may fail to include all aspects of distress and individuals' needs in cross-cultural settings [14]. Thus, it is important not only to follow prede ned measurements and constructs, but also to follow a person-centered research and treatment approach considering subjective perspectives and needs, cultural background, and social circumstances [15]. Research shows effectiveness of evidence-based treatments for PTSD in refugee populations [16-19]. However, research on psychosocial interventions addressing other disorders (such as anxiety, somatization, depression) are sparse [8]. Transdiagnostic approaches target common elements across disorders and address multiple disorders simultaneously [20]. Therefore, they represent appropriate lowintensity treatments. They are associated with positive treatment outcomes, such as improvement of symptoms, and of comorbidities, social functioning, client satisfaction, therapeutic alliance, and positive treatment expectation [21-23]. Still, studies considering transdiagnostic approaches show methodological weaknesses, small sample size [20], and they particularly lack of evidence in refugee and asylum seeking populations [24]. Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a transdiagnostic short-term intervention, developed to
Ongejuk Lolos Sereno, 2023
This essay examines the impact of forced migration on the mental health of refugees, arguing that the process significantly contributes to mental illness within this population. Forced displacement exposes refugees to severe physical and psychological trauma across three phases: pre-migration, transit, and post-migration. The pre-migration phase involves exposure to violence, persecution, and the loss of loved ones, often leading to conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression. During transit, refugees endure dangerous journeys, economic hardships, exploitation, and isolation, further exacerbating their mental health challenges. Post-migration, refugees face discrimination, social isolation, and poor living conditions, which negatively affect their well-being. Each phase of forced migration brings distinct challenges that amplify the psychological burden on refugees. The essay concludes by calling for compassionate, culturally sensitive support systems and policies that address refugees' mental health needs and promote social inclusion to enhance their recovery and integration into society.
Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2017
Syrian people fleeing their countries due to internal conflicts can be at high risk for mental health problems because they have to deal with multiple stressor events like traumatic events, forced migration, and living difficulties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relative contribution of pre-migration traumatic events and post-migration living difficulties to mental health outcomes of Syrian asylum seekers residing in Turkish camps. One hundred eleven asylum seekers, living in three different camps located on the Syrian border of Turkey were administered an interview package including informed consent form, sociodemographic form, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire Revised Part I and IV, Post-Migration Living Difficulties and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. Hierarchical regression analyses yielded that loss of loved ones among pre-migration traumatic events was found as a significant predictor for post-traumatic stress and depression whereas loss of culture and support among post-migration living difficulties was observed as more impactful determinant of each psychological problem. The findings of the study were expected to have implications for intervention development targeting current stressors as well as traumatic events, and program and 836 CANTEKIN AND GENÇÖZ policy development aimed at improving life conditions and strengthening support systems of asylum seekers to promote coping.
2017
The experience of seeking refugee status may lead to mental disorders for some people. This literature review and analysis is about the mental health of refugees. Peer reviewed papers were researched on the online database, Social Science Citation Index® on Web of Science™. We found 35 qualitative studies published from January 1993 to January 2016. Analysis focused on the mental health of adult refugees, the mental health of child and adolescent refugees and health care of refugees. There has been an increase in publications in this area. The themes include: cultural diversity, the effects of family and network support, the practitioners' work caring for refugees, the presence or not of mental illness, and interventions and commitment regarding human rights.