Listening to refugees: How traditional mental health interventions may miss the mark

Mitschke, Diane B.; Praetorius, Regina T.; Kelly, Don R.; Small, Eusebius; Kim, Youn K

doi:10.1177/0020872816648256

Cited by 52 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Our results are also in line with previous studies indicating that interventions, offered in group format are helpful in alleviating mental health problems among refugees (Behnia, 2003;Kalmanowitz, 2016;Mitschke, Praetorius, Kelly, Small, & Kim, 2017;Quinlan, Schweitzer, Khawaja, & Griffin, 2016). Mitschke et al (2017) interviewed 30 refugees who had received different kinds (individual and group structure) of treatment for depression, PTSD, or anxiety. The overall consensus of participants who reflected on the program's efficacy appreciated the group structure over the individual counseling model.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: A Pilot Study with Mixed Methods Evaluation

et al. 2019

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adapted the mindfulness-based program, with the assistance of Katharina Müllen. Inge De Leeuw and Berti Persoons delivered the intervention. We are grateful to the people of vzw MinorNdako for the organization and their support during the project, and sincerely thank all participants in the study. Special thanks goes to David Lowyck, the chairman of vzw MinorNdako, for his effort in supporting this study.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: A Pilot Study with Mixed Methods Evaluation

et al. 2019

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“…A possible explanation of the null result is related to adaptation of the program content to participants’ different needs, as the pragmatism and flexibility of the person leading this kind of group sessions are highlighted as crucial for their quality (e.g. [ 22 , 41 ]). It is possible that the health communicators in this program, to an unusually high degree, managed to satisfactorily meet the varying profiles and needs of the participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting mental health in migrants: a GHQ12-evaluation of a community health program in Sweden

et al. 2021

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Background Research increasingly highlight post-migration factors for migrants’ mental health status. We investigated the association between participation in a health promotion program and changes in migrants’ mental health, and if socio-demographic factors and length of time in the new home country, Sweden, influenced a potential association. Methods A five-week health promotion program named ‘Hälsostöd’ [Health Support], led by community health workers, was offered to migrants, primarily asylum seekers and newly arrived immigrants (N = 202). The framework for the program was salutogenic psycho-education, which focused on health effects of migration experiences, lifestyle and health, and the health care system. Mental health was measured at the start and end of the program. We analysed this follow up by using the recommended clinical cut off (i.e. > 11 of maximum 36, with higher scores indicating possible mental illness) in the 12- item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12). Chi Square test was used to analyse statistical significance of changes, and multinomial logistic regression to analyse associations to sociodemographic factors and length of stay in Sweden. Results The number of participants scoring above the clinical cut off after participation in the program (N = 79, 39.1%) was lower compared to the corresponding number before participation (N = 111, 55.0%), Chi Square = 10.17, p < .001. The majority of the participants had no change 72.3 (N = 146), 21.8% (N = 44) had a positive change, yet 5.9% (N = 12) had a negative change, compared to before participation in the program. None of the investigated sociodemographic factors showed to significantly influence the association. Length of stay in Sweden was trending, with participants with longer stay being more likely to have possible mental illness. Conclusion We conclude that psycho-educative programs, similar to ‘Hälsostöd’, have potential for promoting asylum seekers’ and newly arrived immigrants’ mental health as the evaluation showed a considerable number of positive changes in participants. The result suggests the importance of offering immigrants health promotive programs in close connection with arrival to the new home country. Future research should clarify under what circumstances sociodemographic factors influence the effects of such programs.

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“…Such studies identify that the stress of forced migration for some is immeasurable. In addition, forced migration and the exposure or experience of trauma as a result of war or torture places many refugees at an increased risk of developing mental health problems (NICE, 2005; Mitschke et al ., 2017). PTSD is arguably the most prevalent and researched psychological disorder identified in refugee populations (Johnson and Thompson, 2008).…”

Section: Context Of Refugee Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of using reflective practice when working with refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of torture within IAPT

Brooks

2019

tCBT

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There is a very high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within refugee populations and survivors of torture. Refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of torture who access IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) can present with unique clinical challenges for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) therapists. The use of reflective practice can be beneficial particularly when there is added complexity in the client's clinical presentation. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of how reflective practice can improve clinical work with this patient group and to identify some of the challenges that refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of torture may present with during therapy. The paper sets out how the use of the critical incident analysis model and clinical supervision can assist to develop reflective practice skills and improve the clinical practice of IAPT CBT therapists who work with diverse populations.

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Listening to refugees: How traditional mental health interventions may miss the mark

Cited by 52 publications

References 33 publications

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: A Pilot Study with Mixed Methods Evaluation

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: A Pilot Study with Mixed Methods Evaluation

Promoting mental health in migrants: a GHQ12-evaluation of a community health program in Sweden

The importance of using reflective practice when working with refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of torture within IAPT

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