Social Interactions and Self-Reported Health Among Resettled Refugees.

Abstract

The goal of this research is to investigate the relationship between social interactions and self-reported mental and physical health of resettled refugees. Social relationships and interactions consist of different layers extending from individual personal relations to social networking activities to collective engagement. Using data from a public opinion survey of recently resettled Bhutanese and Rohingya refugees in Michigan (N=352), we find that along with their socioeconomic situations, such as employment, social integration is an important determinant of mental and physical health. Resettled refugees tend to report better health if they are more socially engaged. This study contributes to the literature on refugee resettlement and integration through a quantitative analysis of a variety of measures of social interactions and their relationship to resettled refugee health. The findings have potentially important country- and world-wide policy implications for developing cost-effective health initiatives for resettled refugees.