African migrants and stress coping strategies in Australia: Implications for social work

Ikafa, Irene; Hack‐Polay, Dieu; Walker, Janet; Mahmoud, Ali B.

doi:10.1177/0020872820963435

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…However, for cultural migrants and for the majority of African populations, cultural and religious differences between their country of origin and the western model of service delivery in Australia have been linked with a reduction in help-seeking behaviours and poor access to mental health services [34,41,42]. It is therefore reasonable to allude that the observed use of religion as a coping strategy to predict both depression and psychological distress could be associated with these perspectives, with the current study participants mitigating mental health based on religious beliefs and faith rather than seeking mental health services for mental health issues that they may face [4,32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Depression, psychological distress and coping strategies among African Migrants in Australia: A cross sectional web-based study

Osuagwu,

Mwanri,

Botchway-Commey

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background African migrants constitute a significant proportion of the Australian population, with over 7.6 million migrants residing in the country in 2020. While migration and resettlement offer opportunities, the associated stressors may adversely affect the mental health and well-being of African migrants. This study explores, for the first time, the prevalence of depression and psychological distress among African migrants in Australia and explored the relationship between coping mechanisms and mental health outcomes. Methods A web-based cross-sectional survey of adult African migrants in Australia was conducted between February and May 2022. Participants (N = 167) without a refugee status who resided in Australia for at least 12 months were recruited through community groups. An e-link of the survey created in Qualtrics was posted on online platforms (WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook) and distributed via emails of community members. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 assessed mental health outcomes and the Brief COPE assessed coping strategies. Descriptive and multivariate regression analyses were used to determine the association between demographic variables, language ability and mental health outcomes. Results Most respondents (89.2%) were between 25-54 years of age, and proficient in English. Approximately one in every three individuals reported higher levels of either depression or psychological distress while 30.9% reported higher levels of both mental health outcomes. Age-specific rates revealed higher levels of depression and psychological distress among younger participants (18-24 years, 62.5%) compared to older age groups (55-59 years, 22.2%; p<0.05, for both). Coping strategies, such as self-blame, self-distraction, and behavioural disengagement, were significant predictors of depression. Similar findings were observed for psychological distress, with self-blame, behavioural disengagement, and religious coping identified as significant predictors. Language ability did not significantly differ between groups with varying levels of depression or distress. However, younger age was associated with higher levels of depression (t(63) = -3.17, p = 0.002; β = -0.29) and psychological distress (t(63) = -2.87, p = 0.03; β = -0.22). Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of addressing mental health issues and promoting effective coping strategies among African migrants in Australia, particularly targeting young individuals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Depression, psychological distress and coping strategies among African Migrants in Australia: A cross sectional web-based study

Osuagwu,

Mwanri,

Botchway-Commey

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The current findings add further evidence to the various reported strategies used by migrant populations to cope with the mental health challenges facing them in Australia and other host countries. These include the use of religious beliefs and reliance on God, cognitive strategies, such as reframing the situation, relying on their inner resources and focusing on future wishes and aspirations, and social support-seeking, problem-solving and reliance on family [74][75][76][77].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Migration Stressors and Mental Health for African Migrants in South Australia: A Qualitative Study

Mwanri

Fauk

Ziersch

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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We conducted a qualitative study involving African migrants (n = 20) and service providers (n = 10) in South Australia to explore mental health stressors, access to mental health services and how to improve mental health services for African migrant populations. This paper presents the views and experiences of African migrants about the post-migration stressors they faced in resettlement that pose mental health challenges. The participants were recruited using the snowball sampling technique. To align with the COVID-19 pandemic protocol, the data collection was conducted using one-on-one online interviews through Zoom or WhatsApp video calls. Data analysis was guided by the framework analysis. The post-migration stressors, including separation from family members and significant others, especially spouses, imposed significant difficulties on care provision and in managing children’s attitudes and behavior-related troubles at school. African cultural practices involving the community, especially elders in care provision and disciplining children, were not consistent with Australian norms, compounding the mental health stressors for all involved. The African cultural norms, that do not allow young unmarried people to live together, also contributed to child–parent conflicts, enhancing parental mental stressors. Additionally, poor economic conditions and employment-related difficulties were post-migration stressors that the participants faced. The findings indicate the need for policy and intervention programs that address the above challenges. The provision of interventions, including social support such as subsidized or free childcare services, could help leverage their time and scheduled paid employment, creating time for effective parenting and improving their mental health and wellbeing. Future studies exploring what needs to be achieved by government and non-governmental institutions to support enhanced access to social and employment opportunities for the African migrant population are also recommended.

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“…To test for nomological validity we examined whether the hypothesised construct of SSL is significantly related to migrant’s level of acculturative stress in a nomological network. While a number of covariates have been found to impact on migrants’ acculturative stress [ 54 ], given we are focusing on support services for new migrants, we included length of stay in Australia, as those who have been here longer will have had a greater opportunity to engage with services and the type of migrant status, as some programs are targeted at different categories of migrants. However, an extended model that also included additional demographic characteristics of age, sex, and marital status as co-variates in the nomological network was produced with relationships consistent across the two models (see S1 Appendix for the expanded model).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing the psychometric properties of constructs from the conceptual ‘Settlement Services Literacy’ framework and their relationship with migrants’ acculturative stress in Australia

et al. 2022

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Background Effective migration often requires supports for new arrivals, referred to as settlement services. Settlement services literacy (SSL) is key to ensuring new migrants have the capability to access and utilise the information and services designed to support the resettlement process and achieve positive settlement outcomes. To date, however, no research has sought to empirically validate measures of SSL or to assess individual migrants’ levels of SSL. The aim of this study was to establish the psychometric properties of constructs from the conceptual SSL framework. Design Using a snowball sampling approach, trained multilingual research assistants collected data on 653 participants. The total sample was randomly divided into two split-half samples: one for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA; N = 324) and the other for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; N = 329) and scale validation. The final SSL scale included 30 questions. The full data set was used to test the nomological validity of the scale regarding whether the components of SSL impact on migrants’ level of acculturative stress. Results The EFA yielded five factors: knowledge (eight items, α = 0.88), empowerment (five items, α = 0.89), competence (four items, α = 0.86), community influence (four items, α = 0.82), and political (two items, α = 0.81). In the CFA, the initial model demonstrated a poor to marginal fit model. Its re-specification by examining modification indices resulted in a good model fit: CMIN/DF = 3.07, comparative fit index = 0.92, root mean square error of approximation = 0.08 and standardised root mean square residual = 0.07, which are consistent with recommendations. All the path coefficients between the second-order construct (SSL) and its five dimensions (knowledge, empowerment, competence, community influence and political) were significant at an α = .05 level, giving evidence for the validity of different SSL dimensions. We found that SSL is significantly related to migrants’ acculturative stress (β = - 0.39, p < 0.05) in the nomological model. Conclusions The study provides evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the SSL tool. It provides the basis for integrating the measures of SSL into evaluation of settlement services. This will allow for more effective decision-making in designing and implementing settlement services as well as funding and service agreements to address any deficiencies.

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African migrants and stress coping strategies in Australia: Implications for social work

Cited by 16 publications

References 65 publications

Depression, psychological distress and coping strategies among African Migrants in Australia: A cross sectional web-based study

Depression, psychological distress and coping strategies among African Migrants in Australia: A cross sectional web-based study

Post-Migration Stressors and Mental Health for African Migrants in South Australia: A Qualitative Study

Establishing the psychometric properties of constructs from the conceptual ‘Settlement Services Literacy’ framework and their relationship with migrants’ acculturative stress in Australia

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