ASYLUM SEEKERS, REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS IN WESTERN CULTURE: MENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES (original) (raw)

Due to a variety of hardship issues, such as socio-economic problems like extreme poverty and civil war in many countries, the beginning of 21st century has seen unprecedented mass exodus, where many immigrants leave their home countries often without anything along beside one pair of clothes they wear, to seek safety and better lives. In doing so, many immigrants endure unforgiving and harsh treatment by smugglers, or natural obstacles such as crossing hot desert in Africa, turbulent waves of oceans, not to mention some psychological, physical,sexual assault (rape) and emotional torture or other inhumane treatment committed against asylum seekers and immigrants by some boarder and security crews in some instances. Through migration journey, many who attempted have lost their lives and still do during the borders crossing journey, whilst most survivors experience extreme and high level of post traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) that they will carry along way into their journey in the –to be– new home, not to mention anxiety associated with uncertainty of “unknown” outcomes at the end of their journey. This is one of the most traumatizing episodes of humankind that rarely get attention. This chapter shades lights on the facts of challenges and adverse experiences associated with different categories of immigrants, such as asylum seekers, refugees and other type of immigrants. Moreover, this chapter also examines the risk factors associated with vulnerable groups such as women and gender perspective, children and youth in developmental perspective, single individuals who had left everything behind including family’s members, and mental health perspectives such psychological trauma and anxiety issues. The chapter encompasses situation of immigrants and refugees in different cultures and hosting countries including Australia (Oceania), Canada and USA(North America), Norway, Sweden, Denmark (Scandinavia),United Kingdom, Italy, France, Belgium (the rest of Europe), Germany and proposes some recommendations that would be useful for preventing major psychological breakdown among immigrants and refugees, as some of them, or at least majority of this group of people would be the future citizens of the hosting countries, hence preventing further mental health issues would be pivotal and solid foundation for effective societal integration, and smooth transition to adapt to a new culture. Keywords: Refugees, Immigrants, Mental health, Gender, Transcultural psychiatry, Transcultural psychology.