Becoming Resilient: Promoting the Mental Health and Well-Being of Immigrant Women in a Canadian Context

Abstract

<jats:p>This paper reports on grounded theory findings that are relevant to promoting the mental health and well-being of immigrant women in Canada. The findings illustrate how relationships among settlement factors and dynamics of empowerment had implications for “becoming resilient” as immigrant women and how various health promotion approaches enhanced their well-being. Dimensions of empowerment were embedded in the content and process of the feminist health promotion approach used in this study. Four focus groups were completed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with 35 racialized immigrant women who represented diverse countries of origin: 25 were from Africa; others were equally represented from South Asia (5), Asia (5), and Central or South America and the Caribbean (5). Participants represented diverse languages, family dynamics, and educational backgrounds. One focus group was conducted in Somali; three were conducted in English. Constructivist grounded theory, theoretical sampling, and a critical feminist approach were chosen to be congruent with health promotion research that fostered women’s empowerment. Findings foreground women’s agency in the study process, the ways that immigrant women name and frame issues relevant to their lives, and the interplay among individual, family, community, and structural dynamics shaping their well-being. Implications for mental health promotion are discussed.</jats:p>

Immigrant Mental Health, A Public Health Issue: Looking Back and Moving Forward

“…Full text of these 486 articles were exported electronically to Ref Works-COS, Pro Quest, LLC, a repository platform, to organize and store the references. A total of 165 articles [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 32 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 ,…”

Enhancing our Understanding of Emancipatory Nursing

“…29 Applying an intersectional lens that foregrounds race and gender shaped a grounded theory pointing out notions of agency for racialized immigrant women, a fresh approach to studies that focus on immigrant women's mental health. 30 There is transformative potential in showing how counterdiscourses challenge taken-for-granted knowledge and practices at the structural level and illuminate actions consistent with social justice.…”

Historical Trauma, Resettlement, and Intervention Strategies: An Analysis of Somali‐Canadian's Experiences

“…Other researchers say health problems come not only from constant fear and toxic stress, but also from isolation and disconnection which develop when groups are seen as the Other instead of being accepted as part of an “us” (Haslam et al., ; MacDonnell et al., ). According to Haslam et al.…”

“…They are just telling me "you are not one of us." Somalis, who are survivors of civil wars and familiar with the impact of othering/marginalization, are sensitive to the silent violence committed against them by systemic oppression and this often traumatizes them further or triggers past pains (Bokore, 2012(Bokore, , 2016. Some of the study participants, remembering xenophobic hate and violence from their past, compared those experiences with the current racism, religious discrimination, and othering they experience in Canada.…”

“…Other researchers say health problems come not only from constant fear and toxic stress, but also from isolation and disconnection which develop when groups are seen as the Other instead of being accepted as part of an "us" (Haslam et al, 2009;MacDonnell et al, 2012). According to Haslam et al (2009), groups who feel they are acknowledged for their contribution to society or belonging often report better health because groups that provide us with a sense of place, purpose, and belonging tend to be good for us psychologically.…”