Flávia B. Pilecco , Andrainolo Ravalihasy , Agnès Guillaume , Annabel Desgrées du Loû , the Parcours Study Group
{"title":"HIV and induced abortion among migrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Île-de-France: Results of the PARCOURS study","authors":"Flávia B. Pilecco , Andrainolo Ravalihasy , Agnès Guillaume , Annabel Desgrées du Loû , the Parcours Study Group","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>HIV heavily affects sub-Saharan African women living in France and can impact reproductive decisions. It was investigated whether HIV was associated with induced abortion in pregnancies held after migration by women from sub-Saharan Africa living in Île-de-France.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We used data on ANRS Parcours, a retrospective life event survey conducted in health facilities in the metropolitan region of Paris, between February 2012 and May 2013, with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Data on the history of pregnancies were collected among women living with HIV (HIV group) and those attending primary care centers (reference group). We investigated 242 women in the reference group, who had 729 pregnancies, and the 277 women in the HIV group, who had 580 pregnancies. The association between abortion and HIV was evaluated using clustered logistic models, successively adjusted for women and pregnancy characteristics, for the whole sample, and stratified by pregnancy intendedness.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>In the reference group, 11.0 % of pregnancies were terminated in abortion, the same situation as 14.1 % in the HIV group (<em>p</em> = 0.124). HIV was not associated with abortion in the crude and adjusted models. However, after adjustments, HIV exhibited a non-significant trend towards reducing the likelihood of abortion, particularly when considering the intendedness of pregnancy variable.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Factors that shape the overall context of women's lives and pregnancies, which are shared with the reference group, may have a more significant impact on reproductive decision-making than HIV alone. Health services must pay attention to the intendedness of pregnancies, providing advice and support on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission to women living with HIV who intend to become pregnant, in addition to strengthening the provision of family planning and the prevention of unintended pregnancies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100237"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623524000278/pdfft?md5=b874b472bdcf1d89b784eaa0826375f3&pid=1-s2.0-S2666623524000278-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141328747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A cross- sectional study of refugees in Norway and Serbia: Levels of mental distress and social-demographic risk factors","authors":"Halldis Niesser Grøtvedt , Sverre Varvin , Ivana Vladisavljević , Bojana Trivuncic , Idunn Brekke","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100238","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100238","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This cross-sectional study has assessed and compared symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among one refugee group during flight (in Serbia) and another refugee group after flight (in Norway). Results indicate high levels of mental distress in both samples of refugees (Serbia: <em>N</em> = 100, Norway: <em>N</em> = 78). Participants in Serbia reported higher levels of symptoms than the participants in Norway. Moreover, the study found that <em>female gender, low education, refused asylum, high age,</em> and <em>concerns about family</em> correlated with mental distress among the participants.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100238"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266662352400028X/pdfft?md5=5f601bf43da150cd9f1d7228ffefa5da&pid=1-s2.0-S266662352400028X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141411984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chagas disease is a low health priority among high-risk Latin American migrants in Geneva, a qualitative study","authors":"Marina Gold , Yves Jackson , David Parrat","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100239","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This qualitative study of the situation of Latin American migrants with Chagas Disease in Geneva analyses how precarious migration-related socioeconomic conditions determine health priorities and disease perception. The study was conducted between 2016 and 2019 and is based on survey data collected in three Chagas-related community events, as well as on open-ended interviews with Bolivian migrants. This research contributes to more appropriate development of public health policies for migrants, as well as to a more nuanced and culturally sensitive understanding of how precarity affects the delivery of, and access to, healthcare in Western Europe. The significance of this research is to highlight how perceptions of Chagas Disease provide a lens to better understand the links between precarity and health among Bolivian migrants.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100239"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623524000291/pdfft?md5=403aa8ba71c6d136c546af1574b1b332&pid=1-s2.0-S2666623524000291-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141486103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Differentials in self-reported health status and healthcare utilization among homeless women during the antenatal period in urban settings: Does migration status matter?","authors":"Margubur Rahaman , Kailash Chandra Das","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100246","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100246","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Limited studies have covered the nexus between homelessness, migration, and maternal health. However, most homeless women are migrants and have high-risk fertility behaviors. Therefore, the present study examines the variation in antenatal health and healthcare behavior among homeless women, focusing on migration status.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The present study employed a mixed-methods approach. A cross-sectional quantitative survey using Time and Location sampling (TLS) and face-to-face interviews was carried out for the quantitative component. Further, qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews using purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis with the Pearson chi-square test, and multivariate logistic models estimated qualitative results. Further, the thematic analysis presented qualitative findings.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Out of 400 respondents, 76 % were migrants, and 57 % reported poor SRH. The likelihood of poor SRH was 1.07 times higher among migrants than non-migrants. A higher likelihood of poor SRH was found among beggars and ragpickers. Similarly, it was prevalent among the respondents who lived alone, mainly migrants. Almost 80 % of migrants reported experiencing depression. The unmet need for health visits was substantial among the study population (41 %), and it was found to be noteworthy among migrants (51 %). Several individual, socioeconomic, and structural factors were identified as barriers to healthcare utilization.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Poor antenatal health was substantial among homeless women, mainly migrants. Public and private healthcare visits were inadequate among homeless women who were migrants. Several individual, socioeconomic, and structural factors affected healthcare utilization. The study highlights the urgent need to introduce population-centric programs and policies to promote reproductive health among homeless women.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100246"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623524000357/pdfft?md5=a8fc9ac2875b59f0d40f99e84e8a208c&pid=1-s2.0-S2666623524000357-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141847070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The hostile environment in primary care: Qualitative analysis of a cross sectional survey of health care professionals in primary care","authors":"Joanna Dobbin , Francesca Burns , Sebastian Casalotti , Mariam Jaffer , Monica Sharman , Catarina Soares , Josie Reynolds","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100276","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100276","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>In 2014 the UK government rolled out the then called hostile environment as a series of punitive policies designed to disenfranchise undocumented migrants from living in Britain. As part of these measures upfront charging was introduced in 2017 which saw patients being denied treatment without prior full payment based on their immigration status.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>Assess the knowledge of the charging regulations in a sample of primary care practitioners. Assess the impact of the regulations on both patients and practitioners in a primary care setting.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Building on a previous survey by the RCPCH, a cross sectional survey was circulated through the RCGP faculties and GP training groups within England. Demographic information and likert responses were collected from over 300 responses. Thematic analysis of over 120 white space questions was undertaken to create themes and sub-themes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results showed an overall poor knowledge of the regulations. Thematic analysis was split into two main categories, (i) human impact of the policies and (ii) the economic and political impact of the policies. Key points were (i) lack of knowledge and awareness of the regulations, (ii) evidence of patient harm through patients’ being denied care, avoiding care or having care delayed, (iii) evidence of clinician harm through burnout, stress, a loss of faith in practice and concerns over extra work and (iv) concerns over implicit bias and structural racism within primary care and (v) concerns over lack of economic analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Charging of overseas visitors is poorly understood within primary care despite having an impact on both patients and practitioners within this setting. Recommendations to help tackle this issue and reduce harm include training of staff, systematic reporting of harm, and a system wide economic analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100276"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142571306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Do immigrants know less than natives about cancer screening tests? – the case of Netherlands","authors":"Dr Jelena Arsenijevic , Dr Verena Seibel","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100258","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100258","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>The Netherlands was one of the first countries in Europe to offer breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screening tests free of charge. Yet, a significant share of migrants in the Netherlands forgo the use of these preventive screenings. Qualitative research suggests, that lack of system knowledge on how the healthcare system operates (e.g. age eligibility of cancer screenings), is one factor contributing to this underuse among migrants. However, little is known about the extent to which migrants differ from natives in their system knowledge and about potential causes of this ethnic gap. The contribution of this study is therefore twofold: First, we examine whether migrants in the Netherlands have lower system knowledge regarding cancer screenings than the natives. Second, we examine which factors explain potential ethnic differences in system knowledge between migrants and non-migrants.</p></div><div><h3>Method</h3><p>Using the Longitudinal Internet Study for Social Sciences (LISS), we matched newly collected data on system knowledge about healthcare with Health module (wave 14). To assess the difference in system knowledge among migrants and non-migrants, while taking into account potential selection bias, we applied propensity score matching, one-to-one matching procedure with no replacement. We compared first generation non - Western migrants (FNWM) and second-generation non-western migrants (SNWM) with their most similar non-migrants group regarding their knowledge about breast, colorectal, and cervical screening. A Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition with non-matched samples was used to examine which factors can explain the differences in system knowledge among migrants and non-migrants.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Our results show that first generation migrants have lower system knowledge about all three screening tests, while second generation migrants differ from non-migrants only with regard to knowledge about breast and colorectal cancer screenings. The ethnic differences found are not caused by personal or social factors such as education or income.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>We recommend Dutch healthcare policy makes to focus in the strengthen of cancer screening system knowledge among migrant populations in order to increase their participation in these screening programs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100258"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623524000473/pdfft?md5=73732445eca0d6bde61f8ee0f5aa2abb&pid=1-s2.0-S2666623524000473-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141963011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Self-rated health, time of residence and social determinants of health in immigrant populations: A complex relationship in groups of different origins in a Southern European region","authors":"Antía Domínguez-Rodríguez , Yolanda González-Rábago","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Health of immigrant population changes with time of residence and under the effect of social determinants of health. This study analyses the health status of the immigrant population in the Basque Country according to groups of origin assessing the effect of time of residence on health in the different origin groups considering social and migration-related determinants of health. A cross-sectional study of the immigrant population in the Basque Country using the Foreign Origin Population Survey was conducted. A descriptive analysis is performed of each group of origin and Poisson models are applied. The main variable is self-rated health, and the independent variables are divided into three groups: demographic, socioeconomic and migration-related. For the study, immigrants are divided into six origin groups. Results show that the health and the effects of socioeconomic and migratory variables on health vary according to origin. Immigrants with greater economic difficulties present poorer health, though to different extents and the effects on health of educational level and perception of discrimination differ according to origin. Finally, the relation between time of residence and self-rated health varies according to origin: Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Eastern EU and sub-Saharan immigrants living in Spain for 10 or more years report poorer health even when controlling for socioeconomic and migration-related variables, while people from the Maghreb and Asia do not. Therefore, the effects on health of time of residence, living conditions and the migratory experience differ according to migrant group, leading to the importance of analysing the health of immigrants as a heterogeneous group.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100216"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623524000060/pdfft?md5=267d0da1ff416fcdf9ec71da7ad250d9&pid=1-s2.0-S2666623524000060-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139684463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elin Ternström , Anna Akselsson , Rhonda Small , Johanna Andersson , Helena Lindgren
{"title":"Obstetric outcomes and uptake of care among 149 non-Swedish speaking migrant women attending a birth preparation visit during pregnancy – An observational study from Sweden","authors":"Elin Ternström , Anna Akselsson , Rhonda Small , Johanna Andersson , Helena Lindgren","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>In Sweden almost one third of the population is born in another country and a large number of the women who do not speak Swedish are of reproductive age. Women migrating from low-income countries have higher risks for poor obstetric outcomes than receiving country-born citizens. INFOR (a Swedish word for “before” or “ahead of”) is an intervention offering language-assisted, individual birth preparation for non-Swedish speaking pregnant women unfamiliar with the maternity care system. The aim of this study was to describe the uptake of care and obstetric outcomes among non-Swedish speaking migrant women attending INFOR.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A descriptive study of the obstetric outcomes and uptake of care was conducted of the 149 non-Swedish speaking pregnant women who participated in INFOR between 2016 and 2020. The data were accessed retrospectively from the medical record system Obstetrix and the population-based Swedish Pregnancy Registry and analysed descriptively.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Women participating in INFOR originated from 44 countries and spoke 35 different languages. During late pregnancy, 20 percent of the women sought care for decreased fetal movements and 80 percent of the women attended the postpartum visit. While the majority of the participants were offered professional language support during pregnancy, almost none had a professional interpreter present during labour and birth. After birth, 80 percent of the primiparous women were asked to rate their birth experience, but only half of the multiparous women were asked. Further, only half of the primiparous women attending the postpartum visit were asked about their self-rated health.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>INFOR may increase uptake of some important aspects of care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum among migrants of diverse backgrounds. The findings raise concerns however about communication support for migrant women, especially during labour and birth. The offer of professional interpreting as part of standard maternity care for women who need it is essential and must be improved in order to provide equitable care for all.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100226"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623524000163/pdfft?md5=4055586a0a9088d3c287796a7c16e1f4&pid=1-s2.0-S2666623524000163-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140347960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Susan Hillis , Sydney Tucker , Nicole Baldonado , Evgenia Taradaika , Lyudmyla Bryn , Svitlana Kharchenko , Tetiana Machabelii , Roisin Taylor , Phil Green , Philip Goldman , Isang Awah , Joshua Baldonado , Praveen Gomez , Seth Flaxman , Oliver Ratmann , Jamie M. Lachman , Andres Villaveces , Lorraine Sherr , Lucie Cluver
{"title":"The effectiveness of Hope Groups, a mental health, parenting support, and violence prevention program for families affected by the war in Ukraine: Findings from a pre-post study","authors":"Susan Hillis , Sydney Tucker , Nicole Baldonado , Evgenia Taradaika , Lyudmyla Bryn , Svitlana Kharchenko , Tetiana Machabelii , Roisin Taylor , Phil Green , Philip Goldman , Isang Awah , Joshua Baldonado , Praveen Gomez , Seth Flaxman , Oliver Ratmann , Jamie M. Lachman , Andres Villaveces , Lorraine Sherr , Lucie Cluver","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100251","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100251","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Nearly one in six children lived in war zones in 2023. Evidence-based psychosocial and parenting support has potential to mitigate negative impacts for parents and children co-exposed to war and displacement, especially in relation to mental health and harsh parenting reactions. In the current war in Ukraine, local mental health experts co-created and evaluated, with global experts, the effectiveness of psychosocial and parenting support groups, called <em>‘Hope Groups’</em> on improvements in mental health, positive parenting, and violence against children. This paper aimed to assess the effectiveness of psychosocial and parenting support groups, called 'Hope Groups,' on improvements in caregiver mental health, positive parenting, and prevention of violence against children, for families affected by the war in Ukraine, using a pre/post study design.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Participants (<em>n</em> = 577) included Ukrainian caregivers, 66% (381) of whom were parents and co-residing caregivers of children ages 0–17, while the remaining 34% were non-resident informal caregivers. Internally displaced, externally displaced, and those living at-home in war-torn regions were invited to groups by trained Ukrainian peer facilitators. Using a pre-post design, we compared individual level frequency measures at three time-points – baseline, midline, and endline, to assess changes in 4 mental health, and 9 parenting and child health outcomes. We analyzed these outcomes using paired <em>t</em>-tests to compare outcomes at baseline-to-midline (after 4-sessions) and baseline-to-endline (after 10-sessions), which estimated the mean changes in days per week and associated percent change, during the respective periods; we quantified uncertainties using bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) bootstrapping with 95% uncertainty ranges for baseline-midline and baseline-endline estimates. We used this same approach for stratified analyses to assess potential effect modification by displacement status and facilitator type. We further used linear models to adjust for age and sex.</p></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><p>Compared to baseline, every mental health, parenting, and child health outcome improved significantly at midline and endline. Mental health ratings showed endline reductions in depressive symptoms of 56.8% (95% CI: -59.0,-54.3; -1.8 days/week), and increases in hopefulness, coping with grief, and self-care, ranging from 62.0% (95% CI: 53.6,71.3; 2.2 days/week) to 77.0% (95% CI: 66.3,88.3; 2.2 days/week). Significant improvements in parenting and child health outcomes included monitoring children, reinforcing positive behavior, supporting child development, protecting child, nonviolent discipline, and child verbalizing emotions. By endline, emotional violence, physical violence, and child despondency had dropped by 57.7% (95% CI: -63.0%,-51.9; -1.3 days/week), 64.0% (95% CI: -79.0,-39.5; -0.22 days/week), and 51.9% (95% CI: -45.1","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100251"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623524000400/pdfft?md5=06a9fad0600780675f5250c57a7e361f&pid=1-s2.0-S2666623524000400-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141839028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Munjireen S. Sifat , Sarah Kenney , Venera Bekteshi , Shawn C. Chiang , Motolani Ogunsanya , Laili K. Boozary , Adam C. Alexander , Darla E. Kendzor
{"title":"The association of migration-related stress with poor mental health among recently resettled Afghan refugees","authors":"Munjireen S. Sifat , Sarah Kenney , Venera Bekteshi , Shawn C. Chiang , Motolani Ogunsanya , Laili K. Boozary , Adam C. Alexander , Darla E. Kendzor","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100282","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100282","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The resettlement of Afghan refugees in Oklahoma City, OK, provides a critical context for examining the mental health challenges faced by this population due to post-migration stressors.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study utilized online surveys to recently resettled Afghan refugees in Oklahoma City, with support provided by bilingual research assistants to accommodate low literacy rates. Surveys, initially in English, were professionally translated into Dari and Pashto and validated through back-translation.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Participants (<em>N</em> = 348) were majority of Pashtun ethnicity. High rates of mental health issues were evident, with 62.1 % of participants screening positive for depression and 20.1 % for probable GAD. Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower pre-migration socioeconomic status (SES) and high post-migration stressors such as discrimination and loss of homeland were significantly associated with increased mental health problems. Stress related to the worry for and loss of their homeland was a substantial predictor of high distress (AOR = 2.71, <em>p</em> < 0.001), anxiety (AOR = 1.99, <em>p</em> = 0.001) and depression (AOR = 2.65, <em>p</em><.001). Experiences of discrimination post-resettlement was also associated with anxiety (AOR 4.92, <em>p</em> < 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>The findings highlight the profound impact of post-migration stressors on the mental health of Afghan refugees. This study underscores the need for targeted interventions to address the specific challenges faced by refugees, such as language barriers, employment, legal support, and anti-discrimination measures, to facilitate better integration and improve mental health outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Enhanced community integration programs and comprehensive support services are essential to mitigate the mental health challenges faced by Afghan refugees, suggesting a broader application for such approaches in similar resettlement contexts globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100282"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142657529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}