Differences in Self-Reported Health and Unmet Health Needs Between Government Assisted and Privately Sponsored Syrian Refugees: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Between November 2015 and January 2017, the Government of Canada resettled over 40,000 Syrian refugees through different sponsorship programs (GAR and PSR). Timely access to healthcare is essential for good health and successful integration. However, refugee support differs depending on sponsorship program, which may lead to differences in healthcare service access and needs. A cross-sectional study with a sample of Syrian refugees was conducted to assess healthcare access, and perceived physical and mental health status. Results indicate demographic and healthcare access differences between GARs and PSRs. GARs reported significantly lower perceived physical and mental health, as well as, higher unmet healthcare needs than PSRs. GARs are among the most vulnerable refugees; they report higher needs, more complex medical conditions and tend to have more difficulty re-settling. These factors likely combine to help explain lower self-reported health and higher health needs in our sample compared to PSRs.

Food insecurity among newcomer refugees in Canada

“…Beyond the UNHCR refugee definition, Oda et al (2019) highlight that the Canadian government interprets a refugee as "a person who has a greater need of protection than other applicants because of particular circumstances that give rise to a heightened risk to their physical safety or well-being" (p. 441). In addition to the above interpretation, the Canada Immigration Act of 1976 defines refugees as a special class of immigrants and fully recognized as convention refugees (Wilkinson & Garcea, 2017;Oda et al, 2019). Based on the Canada Immigration Act of 1976 and signatory of the 1951 Convention of Refugees, Canada is a country that accepts refugees from different parts of the world, and works closely with UNHCR and other refugee resettlement agencies.…”

“…Asylum seekers are a particular group, referring to people who cross the border and enter into Canada without refugee status, and then file a claim adjudicated in Canada (Wilkinson & Garcea, 2017;Oda et al, 2019;UNHCR Canada, 2018).…”

“…Both PSRs and GARs receive their permanent residency upon arrival at the first destination (Wilkinson & Garcea, 2017) and both receive free settlement services from agencies funded by the Canadian government (Oda et al, 2019;IRCC, 2018). In this initial stage, refugees may face many challenges, including food security, through different integration factors.…”

“…Adekunle, Cidro, & Filson, (2015) states that 65% of refugees who arrive to Winnipeg within the last five years do not know English or French. Some findings illustrate that, upon arrival, most refugees are primarily looking to find co-ethnic neighborhoods for them to live (Oda et al, 2019). Yet in co-ethnic neighborhoods, it is considerably more difficult for newcomer refugees to improve their English and French language proficiency, because they will be able more easily get by with their own language.…”

Health seeking behaviors among Syrian refugee women: A scoping review

“…An interesting cross-sectional study of 386 Syrian refugees in the GTA conducted by Oda, Hynie [24] to assess access to health care with the perceived physical and mental health concluded that government assisted refugees had lower perceived health and access to health care compared to privately sponsored refugees due to the fact that the later had better education, socioeconomic and support system to navigate the available health services compared to government assisted refugees. A literature review conducted within the Jordanian context by El Arab and Sagbakken [25] to identify Syrian refugee health needs and barriers to access concluded that financial and structural barriers including awareness about the availability of health services affect access to health care.…”