Communication Technology and Social Integration: Access and Use of Communication Technologies Among Floridian Resettled Refugees

Bletscher, Caitlin

doi:10.1007/s12134-019-00661-4

Cited by 10 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The results also highlight the importance of families having access to affordable internet and communication technologies considering the role of these in maintaining social connections. Not all migrant families may have access to internet and communication devices or are eligible for support programs that help gain access to these (57,(70)(71)(72)(73). Many families therefore may not be able to communicate with their family abroad or participate in online local support groups, places of worship, educational activities and health and social services; leaving these families more isolated, especially during the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health: A Descriptive Study of the Experiences of Migrant Mothers With Young Children (0–5 Years Old) at La Maison Bleue

Lim

Hulst

Pisanu³

et al. 2022

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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BackgroundMigrant women with young children, including asylum seekers and refugees, have multiple vulnerability factors that put them at increased risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with negative health outcomes. This study explored the experiences of social isolation and loneliness among migrant mothers with children aged 0–5 years as well as their perceptions on possible health impacts.MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was conducted at La Maison Bleue, a non-profit organization providing perinatal health and social services to vulnerable women in Montreal, Canada. Recruitment and data collection occurred concurrently during the COVID-19 pandemic, between November and December 2020. Eleven women participated in individual semi-structured interviews and provided socio-demographic information. Interview data were thematically analyzed.ResultsMigrant women in this study described social isolation as the loss of family support and of their familiar social/cultural networks, and loneliness as the feelings of aloneness that stemmed from being a mother in a new country with limited support. Multiple factors contributed to women's and children's social isolation and loneliness, including migration status, socioeconomic circumstances, language barriers, and being a single mother. Women expressed that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing experiences of social isolation and loneliness. Mothers' experiences affected their emotional and mental health, while for children, it reduced their social opportunities outside the home, especially if not attending childcare. However, the extent to which mothers' experiences of social isolation and loneliness influenced the health and development of their children, was less clear.ConclusionMigrant mothers' experiences of social isolation and loneliness are intricately linked to their status as migrants and mothers. Going forward, it is critical to better document pandemic and post-pandemic consequences of social isolation and loneliness on young children of migrant families. Supportive interventions for migrant mothers and their young children should not only target social isolation but should also consider mothers' feelings of loneliness and foster social connectedness and belongingness. To address social isolation and loneliness, interventions at the individual, community and policy levels are needed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health: A Descriptive Study of the Experiences of Migrant Mothers With Young Children (0–5 Years Old) at La Maison Bleue

Lim

Hulst

Pisanu³

et al. 2022

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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“…As described earlier, several studies have established associations between technology-enabled social connections and overall well-being (Bletscher, 2020;Marlowe, 2020;O'Connell & Lucić, 2021;Svoen et al, 2021). Two studies examined how refugees used technology to find health information and access healthcare.…”

Section: Health and Social Carementioning

confidence: 97%

“…In the domain of digital skills, Lloyd's (2020) studies on diverse refugee groups in Australia found that while refugees frequently use technology, they often lack the skills to navigate and judge the reliability of internet resources capably. Similarly, in a mixed-methods study of technology use among 70 Iraqi, Burmese, Congolese, and Somali refugees in the U.S., respondents generally felt only slightly confident about using technology (Bletscher, 2020). However, using technology for tasks such as online banking, applying for public benefits, and completing job applications, was extremely difficult for participants to learn.…”

Section: Digital Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, any digital task essentially requires double the labor, thereby draining families' energy. Similarly, several participants in Bletscher's (2020) study indicated that their reliance on resettlement agencies to use technology limited their ability to become self-sufficient in technology use. The findings showed that resettlement agencies enabled this dependency.…”

Section: Digital Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The research also illuminated the unintended consequences of technical assistance from family members or resettlement service providers, fostering dependency instead of promoting autonomy. Future research is needed to develop key performance indicators for technology use assessment, identify potential differences across geographic and demographic settings, and develop core indicators for monitoring and evaluating technology education projects for refugees (Bletscher, 2020;Patil, 2019).…”

Section: Contributions To Knowledge: Emerging Research Issues and Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Role of Digital Skills in Refugee Integration

Potocky

2022

IJIDI

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Two concurrent 21st-century phenomena—the nearly unprecedented number of forced migrants and the near ubiquity of information and communications technology—have given rise to increased scholarship in “digital migration studies.” One area of investigation in this emergent interdisciplinary field is the role of digital skills in refugee integration. Given the accelerated global reliance on technology resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the author conducted a state-of-the-art literature review to identify emerging issues and highlight research needs in this area. A search of 10 databases yielded 39 studies spanning the major resettlement regions (North America, Western Europe, Oceania), and including refugees from across the globe. The inclusion criteria were studies focused on refugees’ practical use of digital technology in integration, published from January 2020-April 2021. Exclusion criteria were studies on refugees in transit or protracted displacement, digital connectivity and accessibility, use of digital technology by humanitarian actors, software development, analyses of digital representations of refugees, public attitudes toward refugees as expressed in digital media, and literature reviews. Ndofor-Tah et al.’s (2019) Refugee Integration Framework was used to organize and synthesize the findings. The studies demonstrated how digital skills affect all domains of integration. Additionally, the studies confirm that many refugees in resettlement have limited digital skills for necessary integration tasks, such as navigating websites and assessing the credibility of online information. Limitations of this state-of-the-art review include its cross-sectional nature, having only one reviewer, and only published literature accessible online through public websites or subscription databases. An important emerging issue for future research is assessing, teaching, and learning digital skills among this population. The study's contributions to the knowledge base and theory, and its implications for information science scholars and practitioners and those in allied disciplines within digital migration studies, are discussed.

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The effectiveness of teaching technology in the era of the COVID 19 pandemic through virtual classroom learning activities using telegram media

Gunawan

Servanda

Idris

et al. 2022

The 2nd International Conference of Science and Information Technology in Smart Administration (Icsintesa 2021)

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Communication Technology and Social Integration: Access and Use of Communication Technologies Among Floridian Resettled Refugees

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health: A Descriptive Study of the Experiences of Migrant Mothers With Young Children (0–5 Years Old) at La Maison Bleue

Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health: A Descriptive Study of the Experiences of Migrant Mothers With Young Children (0–5 Years Old) at La Maison Bleue

Role of Digital Skills in Refugee Integration

The effectiveness of teaching technology in the era of the COVID 19 pandemic through virtual classroom learning activities using telegram media

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