Somali Immigrant Perceptions of Mental Health and Illness

Wolf, Kimberly M.; Zoucha, Rich; McFarland, Marilyn; Salman, Khlood; Dagne, Ahmed; Hashi, Naimo

doi:10.1177/1043659614550487

Cited by 27 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In addition to the novel findings in our study, other results are consistent with previous research findings in Somali communities on mental health and illness and strengthen the evidence base. Stigma can play a role in any individual accessing mental health services [ 59 ], but cultural stigma in close BAME communities, such as the Somali community in Bristol, has been described previously as a key barrier in accessing mental health services [ 7 , 8 , 12 , 16 ]. Participants in the current study also discussed the importance of religion and for religious principles and practices to be incorporated into treatment plans [ 7 , 12 , 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Experiences and difficulties pre, post and during the migratory process all combine to influence mental illness rates [ 6 ]. Understanding the knowledge and beliefs communities have of mental illness and the barriers they experience in accessing healthcare is important to ensure those suffering from mental illness can access culturally acceptable and safe treatment [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Work in the UK, New Zealand and Norway describes coping strategies for mental illness including: religious practices [ 13 – 17 ] and reliance on social networks and religious/ethnic communities [ 15 – 17 ]. There can be an unfamiliarity with Western diagnostic labels and mood disorders in Somali communities, with mental health being divided into categories of “sanity” and “insanity” with those demonstrating violent or uncontrollable behaviours categorised into “insane” [ 7 , 12 , 13 , 17 , 18 ]. Somali individuals may hide their symptoms or deny that there is an issue, due to a lack of support and social stigma from their community [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

“Crazy person is crazy person. It doesn’t differentiate”: an exploration into Somali views of mental health and access to healthcare in an established UK Somali community

Linney

Redwood³

et al. 2020

Int J Equity Health

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Background Mental health conditions have been shown to disproportionately affect those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Somali communities globally have relatively high levels of mental illness, but low levels of mental health service use, with numerous barriers to care identified. This study was conducted in an established UK Somali community in the South West of England and aimed to explore community beliefs and views about the causes of mental illness, treatment for mental illness, and access to medical services in general. Participants were asked about how mental health and illness are understood and conceptualised, along with the cultural meaning of mental illness and its manifestations in relation to men, women and young people. Design Using a community-based participatory research design, in partnership with local Somali community organisations, the research team conducted four focus groups with a total of 23 participants aged over 18. Open-ended questions were used to facilitate discussion. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results The participants discussed the role of migration and associated stress from the civil war and how that could contribute to mental illness. Participants tended to view the symptoms of mental illness as physical manifestations such as headaches and to describe a strong community stigma where those with mental health conditions were viewed as “crazy” by others. Barriers to accessing healthcare included language barriers, waiting times and a mistrust of doctors. Various ideas for improvements were discussed, including ideas to reduce stigma and ideas for community initiatives. Conclusion Cultural considerations and reducing stigma are vital in improving understanding of mental illness and improving access to mental health services, along with building relationships and trust between the Somali community and health care workers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

“Crazy person is crazy person. It doesn’t differentiate”: an exploration into Somali views of mental health and access to healthcare in an established UK Somali community

Linney

Redwood³

et al. 2020

Int J Equity Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many family members do not understand the medical terms used when describing physical or mental health. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for family members to decline to openly interpret some words due to cultural or religious restraint (Wolf et al 2016). This less than ideal practice surrounding medical language interpretation and communication may cause conflict between families, clinically unsafe practice, misinterpretation, misinformation, and culturally inappropriate care (Wood & Newbold 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Religion is important in the lives and well-being of immigrants, as traditions and religious beliefs such as prayer and meditation practices, have significant impact upon well-being and the willingness to seek mental health services (Dow 2011). To illustrate further, the Somali community believe that reading the Qur'an was more healing than going to the doctor (Wolf et al 2016). It is important to incorporate time for prayer and access to the Qur'an for African immigrant inpatients of the Muslim faith, as it is critical that the provision of mental health care is congruent with religious beliefs and practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Service gaps related to culturally appropriate mental health care for African immigrants

Wamwayi

Cope

Murray

2019

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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The population of overseas‐born Australians continues to grow including the recent increase of immigrants and refugees from African countries. Due to this increase, healthcare services need to assess if current available services are culturally appropriate for African immigrant inpatients. This qualitative study, with a quality improvement focus, examined current services to identify key service gaps and consider recommendation to improve care of African immigrant mental health inpatients in the hospital from the point of view of staff working within the organisation. What was revealed is that services currently offered to African mental health inpatients were culturally inappropriate. Emerging themes included inadequate interpreter services, lack of cultural awareness staff training, lack of organisation link with other services, unmet spiritual needs, use of staff/families as interpreters, culturally inappropriate information, and lack of or inadequate culturally appropriate policies and framework. Changes to current practices are recommended to provide culturally appropriate mental health care to African inpatients.

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WhatsApp supervision for a lay‐led Islamic trauma‐focused intervention in Somaliland: Qualitative content analysis

Klein

Egeh²,

Bowling

et al. 2022

Journal of Traumatic Stress

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Clinical supervision is critical for the uptake of psychotherapy but difficult to facilitate in countries with limited providers, resources, and internet infrastructure. Innovative supervision approaches are needed to increase access to mental health treatments in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs). This study examined the content and feasibility of remote WhatsApp text supervision conducted as part of an open clinical trial in Somaliland. Islamic Trauma Healing ITH) is a brief, group, lay-lead, trauma-focused, mosque-based intervention that has demonstrated initial efficacy in pilot studies in the United States and Somaliland.After a 2-day, in-person training, lay leaders led four groups of five to seven members focused on trauma-related psychopathology and community reconciliation. Somali lay leaders trained in ITH (n = 9) and the research team (n = 6) attended weekly WhatsApp supervision during the intervention. Content was logged and subjected to qualitative analysis by two coders. Comments related to intervention implementation indicated that lay leaders understood the treatment rationale, adhered to treatment procedures, and believed the intervention components to be helpful and culturally relevant. Themes related to engagement suggested perfect attendance across groups and high levels of participation.Lay leader psychoeducation and skill development; supervisor praise, support, and encouragement; and supervisee gratitude emerged as additional themes. Remote text supervision conducted via WhatsApp was technologically feasible and may have facilitated skill development and the effective implementation of This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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Somali Immigrant Perceptions of Mental Health and Illness

Abstract: The findings will improve care by promoting culturally congruent care for the Somali immigrant population.

Cited by 27 publications

References 10 publications

“Crazy person is crazy person. It doesn’t differentiate”: an exploration into Somali views of mental health and access to healthcare in an established UK Somali community

“Crazy person is crazy person. It doesn’t differentiate”: an exploration into Somali views of mental health and access to healthcare in an established UK Somali community

Service gaps related to culturally appropriate mental health care for African immigrants

WhatsApp supervision for a lay‐led Islamic trauma‐focused intervention in Somaliland: Qualitative content analysis

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