Mental and somatic health and pre- and post-migration factors among older Somali refugees in Finland

Abstract

Mental and somatic health was compared between older Somali refugees and their pair-matched Finnish natives, and the role of pre-migration trauma and post-migration stressors among the refugees. One hundred and twenty-eight Somalis between 50-80 years of age were selected from the Somali older adult population living in the Helsinki area (N = 307). Participants were matched with native Finns by gender, age, education, and civic status. The BDI-21 was used for depressive symptoms, the GHQ-12 for psychological distress, and the HRQoL was used for health-related quality of life. Standard instruments were used for sleeping difficulties, somatic symptoms and somatization, hypochondria, and self-rated health. Clinically significant differences in psychological distress, depressive symptoms, sleeping difficulties, self-rated health status, subjective quality of life, and functional capacity were found between the Somali and Finnish groups. In each case, the Somalis fared worse than the Finns. No significant differences in somatization were found between the two groups. Exposure to traumatic events prior to immigrating to Finland was associated with higher levels of mental distress, as well as poorer health status, health-related quality of life, and subjective quality of life among Somalis. Refugee-related traumatic experiences may constitute a long lasting mental health burden among older adults. Health care professionals in host countries must take into account these realities while planning for the care of refugee populations.

Health-related quality of life among Syrian refugees resettled in Sweden

“…The two EQ-5D dimensions pain/ discomfort and anxiety/depression were also the two dimensions accounting for the most frequently reported problems among the Swedish general population, which indicates that pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression may act as key drivers of low HRQoL across different non-patient populations. In previous studies from Sweden and Finland, comparing HRQoL between elderly Iranian migrants/Somali refugees and the Swedish/Finnish host population, similar results were found [15,16]. Sex differences in HRQoL were also shown in a study with data from Sweden, where female Iranian migrants had lower scores in all dimensions compared to Swedish women, whereas male Iranian migrants had lower score in six of the eight dimensions measured by SF-36 [16].…”

“…Results from a study in Finland among older Somali refugees showed that they had a lower HRQoL than the matched Finnish host population. Somali refugees reported more on the dimension of anxiety/depression, whereas the Finnish control group reported more on pain/discomfort [15]. The HRQoL in elderly has also been investigated among Iranian refugees resettled in Sweden indicating that Iranian refugees in Sweden reported higher HRQoL than Iranians living in Iran, but lower than native Swedes living in Sweden [16].…”

Angst, Depressionen und posttraumatische Belastungsstörungen bei Flüchtlingen – eine Bestandsaufnahme

“…Faktoren des Zufluchtslandes sind auf der Makro-(u. a. ökonomische und juristische Bedingungen), der Familien-(u. a. häusliche Gewalt) und der individuellen Ebene (u. a. Inanspruchnahmeverhalten) identifizierbar [20]. Insbesondere wurden Zusammenhänge zwischen niedrigem sozioökonomischem Status [21], unsicheren Arbeitsbe-dingungen und Arbeitslosigkeit [22,23], geringen Kenntnissen der Sprache des Zufluchtslandes [24] sowie Diskriminierung [25,26] und Depression, Angst und PTBS bei Flüchtlingen untersucht (tab. 2 im Internet).…”

“…Entsprechend unserer Einschlusskriterien wurden 15 Studien mit Flüchtlingen aus mehreren Ländern (Bhutan [35], Irak [36][37][38], Kambodscha [39], Kongo [40,41], Liberia [42], Ruanda [43], Somalia [23,44], Syrien [45], Vietnam [46], verschiedene Länder [42,47,48]) mit insgesamt n = 6 769 Flüchtlingen in den Review einbezogen (▶tab. 1).…”

Generational Perceptions of Support Among Congolese Refugees in Urban Tanzania

“…Familial, religious, and ethnic group support has been shown to buffer against poor mental health and enhance wellbeing in African refugees residing in countries of first asylum, as well as those resettled in high-income countries (Abraham et al 2018;Campbell 2006;Gladden 2012;Posselt et al 2018;Schweitzer et al 2006Schweitzer et al , 2007, including in older adult refugees groups (Lamba and Krahn 2003;Silveira and Allebeck 2001;Mölsä et al 2014). Despite these positive findings, there is a knowledge gap related to the specific range and sources of support utilized by refugees across generations in low-and middleincome countries (LMICs), in which 85% of refugees are hosted globally (UNHCR 2018a).…”