Mental health among older refugees: the role of trauma, discrimination, and religiousness

This study aimed to describe the psychiatric nursing care experiences of immigrant patients. The incidence of mental health problems is higher and the use of mental health services is lower among immigrants, especially refugees, compared with the majority of the population. The study uses a qualitative research approach, with an emphasis on focused ethnography research methods. The participants were immigrant patients (N = 14) residing in adult psychiatric wards of certain hospitals (N = 3) selected for the study. A majority of the participants were refugees or asylum seekers. A total of 21 in-depth interviews were conducted. The experiences of these immigrant patients, both in their home countries and in their country of residence, had had an adverse effect on their mental health, with past traumatic experiences being the most central factor. Their symptoms included depression, anxiety, somatization, and psychosis. The findings show that the categories of factors that helped promote recovery among immigrant patients were nursing, medical treatment, care environment, and the patients' own methods. Based on the findings, a systematic evaluation of traumatic experiences is recommended for immigrants from countries with a history of war and/or political violence. Healthcare providers should also consider the importance of cultural desire in psychiatric nursing for the recovery of patients.

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“…It also showed that a high degree of religiousness could play a buffering role, especially among older refugees (Mölsä et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Psychiatric nursing care experiences of immigrant patients: A Focused ethnographic study

Kallakorpi

Haatainen

Kankkunen

2018

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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“…The feeling of not being welcome led some to withdrawal into isolation within the camps. Experiences of discrimination predict higher distress level among refugees (Beiser and Hou, 2016;Mölsä et al, 2017). People with a weak social network find it more difficult to cope with stressful situations and generally have more psychological problems than people with a large and close social network (Wallin and Ahlström, 2005;Wells, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A life in waiting: Refugees' mental health and narratives of social suffering after European Union border closures in March 2016

Bjertrup¹,

Bouhenia²,

Mayaud

et al. 2018

Social Science & Medicine

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“…For instance, according to a review of 113 out of 840 studies on refugees' mental health, published from 1998 to 2009, including ten systematic reviews and five meta-analyses, traumas/stressors associated with migration that contributed to refugees' poor mental health status included famine, war, religious or political prosecution, disruption of social support and network, harsh living conditions in refugee camps, exposure to violence, uncertainty about future, discrimination and social exclusion, culture and language barriers, and economic distress [2]. As the number of refugees worldwide is rapidly growing, recent literature has re-emphasized the contribution of these traumatic experiences among refugee adults, adolescences, and children resettled in different countries to their mental well-being [7][8][9][10][11]. Abou-Saleh and Hughes [7], in their article, titled "Mental health of Syrian refugees: looking backwards and forwards," suggested that future effort to improve refugees' mental health should focus on "mental health and psychosocial support services that go beyond clinical services and include efforts to strengthen community support mechanisms and nonclinical interventions to strengthen coping mechanisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Effectiveness of Physical Activity on Mental Health among Bosnian Refugees: A Pilot Study

Xin¹,

Karamehić-Muratović²,

Klein³

2017

ujph

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This pilot study aimed to reduce Bosnian refugees' vulnerability to and severity of mental disorders and sustain their mental health through adopting culturally appropriate and tailored physical activity. The study used the Community-Based Participatory Research approach and the quasi-experimental study design. A total of 35 participants in the intervention group received 12-week regular physical activity while 35 participants in the control group received 12-week educational materials concerning mental health. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured by the validated and culturally and linguistically competent instrument, Mental Health Inventory (MHI)-38. At the end of the study, both intervention and control groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement on the scales of MHI-38 either within or between groups. The study served as a non-clinical example to sustain, replicate, and expand the current intervention activities among the rest of the Bosnian community and other refugee/immigrant populations in the U.S. regarding their mental health well-being.

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Mental health among older refugees: the role of trauma, discrimination, and religiousness

Abstract: Health care should consider both unique past and present vulnerabilities and resources when treating refugees, and everyday discrimination and racism should be regarded as health risks.

Cited by 66 publications

References 60 publications

Psychiatric nursing care experiences of immigrant patients: A Focused ethnographic study

Psychiatric nursing care experiences of immigrant patients: A Focused ethnographic study

A life in waiting: Refugees' mental health and narratives of social suffering after European Union border closures in March 2016

Examining the Effectiveness of Physical Activity on Mental Health among Bosnian Refugees: A Pilot Study

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