{"title":"Evaluation of Mental Health Problems of Syrian People Under Temporary State Protection in Türkiye: The Role of Refugee Health Screener-15.","authors":"Fatma Kantaş Yılmaz, Ebru Şal","doi":"10.1007/s10903-025-01670-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-025-01670-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since the Syrian civil war, Türkiye has received more than 3.6 million Syrian people who sought protection and have been provided a temporary state protection status, making the country the largest host country in the world. This study aimed to investigate depression and anxiety levels of Syrian people accommodated in a relatively developed part of a south-eastern city, Şanlıurfa. Adaptation of the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) scale, an objectively designed screening tool for prevalent mental disorders among refugees, is another distinctive feature of this investigation. Using a snowball sampling method, 454 Syrian people aged 18 or older were administered four inventories in their Arabic and Turkish, including the Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15), Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI), and Post Migration Living Difficulties Checklist (PMLD). Using a path analysis model, the mediating role of the RHS-15 was examined in the effect of the PMLD, which is considered one-dimensional, on the BAI and BDI variables. The study showed low levels of depression (8.51 ± 2.96) and anxiety (7.86 ± 2.43) that corresponded well to low RHS-15 (6.36 ± 2.31) and PMLD (15.64 ± 2.83) scores. In path analysis, the RHS variable has a significant direct effect on the BAI and BDI variables, with an increase in the RHS variable correlated with an increase in the BAI variable and BDI variable, respectively. The RHS-15 scores were significantly higher among married participants, those with poor financial status, those having 3-4 children and those with physical problems. A more reflective population sample would provide better insight into depression and anxiety levels of Syrian people accommodated in Türkiye.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143189496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura X Vargas, Merlin Ariefdjohan, Chloe E Page, Zachary F Meisel, Connie M Ulrich, Margarita Alegría, Norma Pimentel, C Neill Epperson, Therese S Richmond
{"title":"Field Notes from the Border: Lessons Learned in Conducting Mental Health Research Involving Newly Arrived Latinx Immigrants as Study Participants.","authors":"Laura X Vargas, Merlin Ariefdjohan, Chloe E Page, Zachary F Meisel, Connie M Ulrich, Margarita Alegría, Norma Pimentel, C Neill Epperson, Therese S Richmond","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01643-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01643-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper, we describe a research protocol for surveying and interviewing Latinx immigrants recently arrived at the US southern border, and we raise important and unique issues that need to be considered with this population. The main objective is to share experiences, challenges, opportunities, and essential considerations (which we call lessons learned) that researchers should take into account when working with this vulnerable study population. The six lessons learned focus on: (1) fostering relationships with community partners; (2) participant consent and compensation; (3) linguistic and cultural fluency of researchers; (4) adapting data collection procedures to the environment and conditions; (5) establishing trust with participants and being trustworthy; and (6) addressing the ethical considerations of research with immigrant populations and the positionality of researchers. This paper provides a unique perspective of working with a vulnerable population that is in transit, often coming from circumstances of danger and risk to their lives, who are now headed towards new and uncertain experiences that may include disadvantage, exclusion or other risks. The lessons learned from the field inform best practices for working with recently arrived Latinx immigrants, with implications for public health research that may extend to other immigrant populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"181-189"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11781956/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142583430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eleanor U Johnston, Bikash Bhattarai, Crista E Johnson-Agbakwu, Dean V Coonrod
{"title":"SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence in a Delivering Refugee Population: Refugee Status, Payor Type, Race, and Vaccination Status.","authors":"Eleanor U Johnston, Bikash Bhattarai, Crista E Johnson-Agbakwu, Dean V Coonrod","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01645-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01645-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Underserved communities were disproportionately affected during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Limited data exist on the impact of COVID-19 among refugee populations because refugee status is not often classified in electronic medical record (EMR) systems, unlike race or primary language. The study aim was to evaluate the PCR-based prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a delivering population over the first 2 years of the pandemic by refugee status, ethnicity, insurance, and vaccination status. A cross-sectional study examined parturient patients admitted to an urban safety-net hospital from May 2020 to May 2022 who were tested for SARS-CoV-2on admission. Percentages and prevalence ratios of SARS-CoV-2 between refugee status, insurance type, vaccination status, and race/ethnicity were calculated across four time periods, corresponding with variant surges of the pandemic. 3,502 patients delivered, 476 (13.6%) were refugees. Self-pay (46.4%) and Medicaid (46.4%) were the most frequent insurance types with a Hispanic predominance (64.5%) by race/ethnicity. Only 12.8% of patients received at least one vaccine before delivery: 13.2% in non-refugees versus 10.3% refugees 192 (5.5%) of the mothers tested positive during the study period with 6.1% refugees positive versus 5.4% among non-refugees, (prevalence ratio, 1.13; P = 0.53, 95% confidence interval [0.77, 1.66]). Positive tests ranged between 4.7% and 6.3% across insurance types and between 4.4% and 7.5% across race/ethnicity categories. The highest prevalence ratio (refugee/non-refugee) of 2.01 was during the Delta Surge (P = 0.12, 95% confidence interval [0.84, 4.82]) and the lowest prevalence ratio of 0.64 was during the Omicron Surge (P = 0.21, 95% CI [0.32, 1.30]). Among refugees when examined by primary language, 51.7% of positive tests were from those speaking languages of the African Great Lakes region (Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Swahili, Kiswahili). We observed only small differences in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence between refugees and non-refugees or in vaccination status. Variations in prevalence ratio were seen by refugee status by variant surge. Subsets of the refugee population, when grouped by language/region, appeared to be more affected. This warrants future research on the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on specific refugee communities, rather than refugee communities as a heterogenous unit.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"104-111"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11782426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142785787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improving Residency Training in Refugee and Immigrant Health Care at an Urban Academic Family Medicine Residency.","authors":"Mihoko Tanabe, Kaylin Pennington, Katherine Standish, Avra Goldman","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01652-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01652-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As a safety net hospital, Boston Medical Center (BMC) serves a global community of patients and is welcoming new refugee and immigrant patients at an unprecedented rate. Many of these patients are cared for by Family Medicine residents and faculty in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Currently, the care delivered by Family Medicine residents lacks uniformity due to lack of familiarity with the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) guidelines for refugee health, differing levels of faculty preceptor experience, and variable in-house resources for primary care across five residency clinic sites. To address these disparities, a team of Family Medicine residents and faculty designed a multidisciplinary global health educational series with a focus on strengthening resident competencies in refugee and immigrant health care. Refugee and immigrant health is discussed in didactic workshops and residents apply a refugee and immigrant health care map that has been developed for use in their clinics. The primary outcome is self-reported changes in clinical practices while caring for refugee and immigrant patients who are establishing or re-establishing care in the United States. Our goal is to continue improving resident education in order to provide the most equitable care for populations at an increased risk of disparate access to care.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"177-180"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142648019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Caroline Shizue Kitakami, Gustavo Magno Baldin Tiguman, Marcio Eduardo Bergamini Vieira, Patricia Melo Aguiar
{"title":"Factors Associated with Stigma and Beliefs About Psychotropics Among the Japanese Ancestry Population Diagnosed with Depression in Brazil.","authors":"Caroline Shizue Kitakami, Gustavo Magno Baldin Tiguman, Marcio Eduardo Bergamini Vieira, Patricia Melo Aguiar","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01635-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01635-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To analyze stigma related to depression, beliefs about psychotropics, and associated factors in a population of Japanese ancestry in Brazil. This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and June, 2022. Beliefs about psychotropics (BMQ-specific) and depression-related stigma (The Stigma Scale) were collected through an online questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with these dependent variables. Ninety-three respondents of Japanese ancestry completed the questionnaire. Participants were more focused on the necessity of the prescribed psychotropics than on possible adverse effects. Married individuals (β=-4.68 [95%CI -8.74, -0.63]; p = 0.024) were less concerned with their psychotropics than single individuals, while those undergoing treatment for longer years (β = 6.23 [95%CI 1.35, 11.11]; p = 0.013) perceive a greater necessity for treatment than those who started it recently. In addition, older individuals perceived less necessity for treatment (β=-5.83 [95%CI -10.76, -0.90]; p = 0.021) than younger individuals. Unemployed people (β = 12.09 [95%CI 0.47, 23.70]; p = 0.042) perceived more depression-related stigma than those employed. Aspects of Japanese cultural heritage related to depression and its treatment are still prevalent among people of Japanese ancestry in Brazil. Factors such as age, treatment duration, and marital status affects the perception of beliefs about psychotropics, whereas occupation affects the perception of stigma.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"74-84"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142365501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Primary Care, Health Services, and the Latino Mortality Paradox.","authors":"John Heintzman, Miguel Marino","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01637-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01637-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the United States, populations of Latino individuals tend to have better mortality outcomes than socioeconomically similar racial and ethnic comparators; this has been termed the \"Latino Paradox\". However, advantages from the Latino paradox seem to fade and may be susceptible to other factors (like the COVID-19 pandemic). Quality primary care may improve mortality, but the effect of the intersection of all of these factors in Latino patients is uncertain. There is burgeoning evidence that Latino patients may have more robust utilization of high value primary care services, especially when accessible in a community-oriented fashion. This utilization may become less robust, especially in services that require a more integrated delivery system, as individuals and generations spend more time in the United States. Primary care research may provide additional insights into the underpinnings of the Latino paradox and may complement the public health foundation that has undergirded work on the paradox in the last few decades. Investments in primary care infrastructure and research may be beneficial to the health of Latinos in the United States, and incorporating the needs of this diverse population into primary care system design at scale may pay large dividends for our societal health.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"6-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142605008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yvonne Appiah Dadson, DeeDee M Bennett-Gayle, Victoria Ramenzoni, Elisabeth A Gilmore
{"title":"Experiences of Immigrants During Disasters in the US: A Systematic Literature Review.","authors":"Yvonne Appiah Dadson, DeeDee M Bennett-Gayle, Victoria Ramenzoni, Elisabeth A Gilmore","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01649-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01649-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As a vulnerable population, immigrants can be disproportionately affected by disasters. Because of their legal and migratory status, immigrants may have different challenges, needs, and possibilities when facing a disaster. Yet, within disaster studies, immigrants are rarely studied alone. Instead, they are often considered part of the large heterogeneous group of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. This racial classification points to a gap in the literature and in our understanding of how disadvantaged groups may cope with disasters. To address this gap, the current study hypothesizes that: (1) Immigrants have unique experiences and disaster impacts compared to the broader aggregated category of racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. and (2) There are variations in disaster experiences and impacts across different types of immigrant subgroups beyond refugees. To explore these hypotheses, a study of the literature across six databases from 2018 to 2023was conducted. The review identified a total of 17 articles discussing immigrant experiences during disasters. Major cross-cutting themes on immigrant disaster experiences include fear of deportation, restrictive immigration status, excessive economic burden and labor exploitation, employment rigidity, adverse health outcomes, limited informational resources and limited social capital, selective disaster relief measures, and infrastructural challenges as regards to housing and transportation. Many of the themes identified are unique to immigrants, such as the fear of deportation, restrictive immigration status and visa policies, and selective disaster relief measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"134-148"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11782316/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142604904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah E Brewer, Amy J Zeidan, Elizabeth E Dawson-Hahn, Pooja Agrawal, Rachel Talavlikar, Elizabeth D Barnett, Brittany M DiVito, Fern R Hauck, Mark L Wieland, Lisa H Gren, Fatima M Karaki, Colleen Payton
{"title":"Development of a Refugee Health Research Agenda in North America.","authors":"Sarah E Brewer, Amy J Zeidan, Elizabeth E Dawson-Hahn, Pooja Agrawal, Rachel Talavlikar, Elizabeth D Barnett, Brittany M DiVito, Fern R Hauck, Mark L Wieland, Lisa H Gren, Fatima M Karaki, Colleen Payton","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01639-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01639-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The lack of a cohesive, stakeholder-informed refugee health research agenda has been a barrier to promoting, funding, and conducting health research with refugee populations in North America. A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals working in refugee health in North America (N = 93) to describe major domains within the field of refugee health research and to develop refugee health research priorities. Open-ended survey questions included: (1) What research topics specific to refugee research would you like to see in an international research agenda? (2) Please describe current and important gaps that you believe exist in refugee research and why? Overarching themes focused on the need for the development of research partnerships with refugee communities that are intentional, effective, and driven by the needs of refugee communities. The survey also identified a need for best practices in creating sustainable, community-based research partnerships (effective models and evidence-based strategies) that translate across 12 domains. The refugee health research priorities for North America described in this manuscript should continue to be modified over time as political, economic, social, and medical contexts change.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"53-61"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142467443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From the Editor : Commentary and Debate.","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s10903-025-01669-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-025-01669-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143006730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Montserrat Carrera Seoane, Danielle E Jake-Schoffman, Amy R Mobley, Megan A McVay
{"title":"Addressing Susceptibility to Non-Prescription Substances for Weight Loss Among Immigrant Hispanic College Students: A Pilot Study.","authors":"Montserrat Carrera Seoane, Danielle E Jake-Schoffman, Amy R Mobley, Megan A McVay","doi":"10.1007/s10903-024-01632-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10903-024-01632-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Non-prescription weight loss substances, such as supplements and herbal remedies, can be harmful. Hispanic immigrant students may be highly susceptible to these substances, especially those advertised on social media. This study was a feasibility/acceptability pilot trial of an intervention to reduce this susceptibility. Latino or Hispanic immigrant students aged 18-35 were randomized to receive either a single-session, culturally tailored online intervention (Redes Sociales Para la Salud), or a dose-matched intervention focused on general support for immigrant students (Immigrant Support). Following the intervention, participants answered quantitative and open-ended questions about intervention satisfaction, and completed measures of susceptibility to non-prescription weight loss substances. Participants additionally completed measures of social media use and social norm perceptions. Fifty-five participants enrolled in the study, and 32 had primary outcome data. Participants were majority female (62.5%) and graduate students (81.3%) with a mean BMI of 24.6 ± 3.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup>. Ratings of intervention satisfaction were moderate (3.5-3.7 out of 5). In open-ended questions, participants identified areas of high satisfaction (cultural appropriateness, learning new information) and suggested improvements (increase interactivity, improve presentation appearance). Considering signal of an effect, participant ratings indicated that susceptibility to non-prescription weight loss substances was lower after Redes Sociales Para la Salud compared to the control intervention. In exploratory analyses, susceptibility to non-prescription weight loss substances was positively associated with extent of social media use (r = 0.41-0.46) and social norms about use of these substances (r = 0.38). With additional refinement, the Redes Sociales Para la Salud has promise for addressing susceptibility to non-prescription weight loss substances.</p>","PeriodicalId":15958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health","volume":" ","pages":"62-73"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142289122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}