Family networks and refugees’ health conditions. A picture from Italian informal settlements

Abstract

While the relationships between social networks and health are widely acknowledged in the literature, few of these studies have covered the population of refugees living in makeshift camps. In our analysis of a nationally representative Italian survey of individuals living in informal settlements, we find that many had weak family relations: only 10 per cent had one or more family members in their settlement. The paper analyses the effects of individual social network on two measures of health, and finds that the refugees’ health conditions were associated with both their personal characteristics and the characteristics of the settlement. The results show that more than 50 per cent of these foreign nationals recently had health problems, and that those with no family members in the settlement had significantly higher chances of both being in bad or very bad health and having experienced a health problem in the last month.

Experiences and Perceived Barriers of Asylum Seekers and People with Refugee Backgrounds in Accessing Healthcare Services in Romania

“…It is necessary to emphasise the dynamic relationships between migrant typology and various health outcomes in order to understand the association between migration and health. This is because refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants are subjects of different levels of health vulnerabilities and social isolation; they reside in or pass through unsecured spaces such as derelict urban zones, construction sites, and transport corridors [ 39 ]. They carry several health burdens, occupy different social positions, go through distinct migration experiences, and face barriers as they seek access to health services in the host destination.…”

Analyzing the effectiveness of the interagency coordination on environmental risk communication to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

“…Marginalization can occur through the relocation into areas where access to services is poor (Busetta et al, 2021) and even if they are allowed services the host‐population wanting to deny services further marginalizing refugees (Sakib & Ananna, 2022). These vulnerabilities also arise in cross‐cultural communication errors (Asfaw et al, 2020), social isolation (Mendola & Busetta, 2021) and the limited or non‐existent legal protections (Mendola & Pera, 2021). Unfortunately, a problem is that refugees are consistently uncounted and unrepresented in surveys making the total extent of refugees' lack of protection unknown (Wilson & Paradise, 2018).…”

Vulnerability of refugees: Some reflections on definitions and measurement practices

“…Both in origin and destination countries, as well as in those of transit, personal and context‐related conditions (e.g. institutional, economic, or environmental) often expose refugees to a range of detrimental outcomes, such as social isolation (Mendola & Busetta, 2021), discrimination, bad health or economic deprivation, which can interact in destructive ways. Thus, these conditions can compound the damages that arise from being in a detrimental situation.…”