Exploring the State of Gender-Centered Health Research in the Context of Refugee Resettlement in Canada: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Interdisciplinary health research that investigates gender as a relational process is necessary to facilitate a safe and healthy resettlement process for refugees in Canada. This scoping review explores the range, nature, and extent of published research examining gender in relation to refugee health during resettlement in Canada. An initial search of six databases yielded 7325 articles published before June 2019. A total of 34 articles published between 1988 and 2019 were included for in-depth review. Articles meeting inclusion criteria primarily focused on refugee women. Categories of focus included maternal health, social and emotional health, health impacts of sexual and gender-based violence and torture, access to health and social services, decision-making and health-seeking behavior, mental health, and sexual and reproductive health. Our thematic analysis identified connections between gender roles, expectations, ideals, and health through interactions and lived experiences within the family, community, and healthcare system. Review findings suggest that many refugee women are influenced by pervasive gender roles and expectations as well as exposed to gendered health systems and practices that may pose risks to health, particularly mental health and access to services. Further efforts should be made to understand processes and experiences of resilience and community building in countering negative impacts of gendered beliefs and practices on health during resettlement.

Experiences of wellbeing and resilience among refugee mothers and families in Calgary during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of participation in HIPPY, a home visiting program

“…In accordance with pre-pandemic resettlement literature, refugee mothers recognized English language proficiency as a crucial determinant of wellbeing during resettlement [12] , [37] , [38] . Technology and language barriers, as well as increased parental burden in the face of school and daycare closures, prevented many mothers from engaging in or continuing their studies at the onset of virtual delivery.…”

“…Young families comprise the majority of refugees admitted for resettlement in Canada and navigating these resettlement challenges concurrently during parenthood may result in decreased parental self-efficacy, impacting experiences of wellbeing during resettlement [11] . Further, refugee women, particularly in their role as mothers, may experience resettlement challenges disproportionately, with gender roles, relations and expectations influencing access to health, social, economic and community resources and services [12] .…”

Challenges and lessons learned in mental health research among refugees: a community-based study in Turkey

“…International literature regarding humanitarian and migration research do show examples of difficulties encountered during sampling, recruiting, reaching out and working with refugee and migrant populations. Lack of registry data, language barriers, cultural and gender related differences, trust issues, and secondary traumatic stress have been discussed in other studies as well [26,28,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38], however, there are also region and host country specific factors including geographical, legal, administrative and culturally sensitive issues that future researchers and practitioners need to take into account when planning to work in different humanitarian and forced migration settings.…”

“…Many refugee women are influenced by gender roles and expectations and they are exposed to gendered health systems and practices, particularly mental health and access to services. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that studies are conducted with a gender-sensitive approach [33][34][35].…”

Women, Patriarchy and Health Inequalities: The Urgent Need to Reorient Our Systems

“…The further marginalisation of the marginalised is also explored by Zivot and colleagues [ 8 ]. Through a scoping review, they investigated gender as a relational process necessary for the safe and healthy resettlement process of refugees in Canada.…”