Post-Migration Stressors and Mental Health for African Migrants in South Australia: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

We conducted a qualitative study involving African migrants (n = 20) and service providers (n = 10) in South Australia to explore mental health stressors, access to mental health services and how to improve mental health services for African migrant populations. This paper presents the views and experiences of African migrants about the post-migration stressors they faced in resettlement that pose mental health challenges. The participants were recruited using the snowball sampling technique. To align with the COVID-19 pandemic protocol, the data collection was conducted using one-on-one online interviews through Zoom or WhatsApp video calls. Data analysis was guided by the framework analysis. The post-migration stressors, including separation from family members and significant others, especially spouses, imposed significant difficulties on care provision and in managing children’s attitudes and behavior-related troubles at school. African cultural practices involving the community, especially elders in care provision and disciplining children, were not consistent with Australian norms, compounding the mental health stressors for all involved. The African cultural norms, that do not allow young unmarried people to live together, also contributed to child–parent conflicts, enhancing parental mental stressors. Additionally, poor economic conditions and employment-related difficulties were post-migration stressors that the participants faced. The findings indicate the need for policy and intervention programs that address the above challenges. The provision of interventions, including social support such as subsidized or free childcare services, could help leverage their time and scheduled paid employment, creating time for effective parenting and improving their mental health and wellbeing. Future studies exploring what needs to be achieved by government and non-governmental institutions to support enhanced access to social and employment opportunities for the African migrant population are also recommended.

Subjective health status and health literacy of African refugees and asylum seekers in Germany: a cross-sectional survey

“…Refugees arriving in a new host country encounter numerous post-migration stressors, such as financial strain and employment issues, impacting their health outcomes (Mwanri et al , 2022). Specific factors like a limited residence permit validity or uncertain asylum status are linked to severe PTSD symptoms (Georgiadou et al , 2018; Boettcher and Neuner, 2022), whereas protracting asylum processes correlate with increased physical complaints (Laban et al , 2008).…”

Depression, psychological distress and coping strategies among African Migrants in Australia: A cross sectional web-based study

“…For African migrants, it is acknowledged that they have shown strong resilience, reinvention, and adaptation to the new life in their new home [22][23][24]. However, a signi cant proportion of these populations continue to face mental health challenges due to a range of factors related to i) premigration issues that may have led to changes in personal ties, disconnections with family and/or friends [25], ii) resettlement challenges that may have needed the reconstruction of social networks [21], and iii) post resettlement barriers that relate to adaptation and/or reinvention to a new socio-economic system [21,24,26], including navigating stressors of such di culties in gaining meaningful employment [27] and shifting new cultural work and employment systems. Additionally, mental illness remains stigmatized not only in cultural migrants [21], however, signi cant cultural perspectives (including African cultures and taboos) affect many people's knowledge of how mental health, especially the common mental disorders, can affect anyone's health outcomes, similar to any other illness [28,29].…”

“…For young people, especially those with a refugee background, for which the majority of Africans are, there are additional challenges in traversing this time, navigating a new culture, and mitigating key complex issues related to navigating identity, belonging [26, 35,38], the impact of racism [38][39][40], and underemployment [26,39] that are known to determine populations' mental health outcomes. Employment, in particular, has been emphasized as one of the very important post-settlement factors associated with poor mental health among migrant groups, including youth, for which African migrants are not exceptional [27,29].…”

“…Given that migration determines the effective and healthy settlement, it is plausible to argue that the complexities of navigating new life in Australia, including how to live within the new culture and context, particularly in negotiating belonging and nding meaningful employment opportunities, would predispose these populations to extraordinary mental health issues, including depression and psychological stress [34,38]. Financial stressors experienced by some African migrants, especially those with a refugee background, have also been reported to be among the vicious risk factors for mental health issues within these populations [27].…”

Yonder: Psychotropic medication discontinuation, post-migration stressors, suicide prevention, and role modelling

“…A recent study from South Australia explored the views and experiences of African migrants about the post-migration stressors they faced in resettlement. 2 The findings suggest that family-related issues, such as separation from family members, spousal separation, and difficulties in parenting, including effectively managing their child's behaviours at school, were mental health stressors. In addition, poor economic conditions related to the limited employment opportunities led to poor fulfilment of family needs, including servicing loans and mortgages.…”