Abstract
BackgroundResettled refugees are at high risk of trauma-related mental health problems, yet there is low uptake of mental health care in this population. Evidence suggests poor ‘mental health literacy’ (MHL) may be a major factor influencing help-seeking behaviour among individuals with mental health problems. This study sought to examine the MHL of resettled Afghan refugees in Adelaide, South Australia.MethodsInterviews were completed with 150 (74 males; mean age 32.8 years, SD = 12.2) resettled Afghan refugees living in Adelaide, South Australia. A convenience sampling method was employed and participants were comprised of volunteers from the Afghan community residing in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. Following informed consent participants were presented a culturally appropriate vignette describing a fictional person suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This was followed by a series of questions addressing participants’ knowledge and understanding of the nature and treatment of the problem described. Self-report measures of PTSD symptoms and co-morbid psychopathology were also administered.ResultsThirty-one per cent of the respondents identified the problem depicted in the vignette as being PTSD, while 26 per cent believed that the main problem was ‘fear’. Eighteen per cent of participants believed that ‘getting out and about more/finding some new hobbies’ would be the most helpful form of treatment for the problem described, followed by ‘improving their diet’ and ‘getting more exercise’ (16 %).ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate aspects of MHL that appear to be specific to Afghan refugees who have resettled in Australia. They indicate the need for health promotion and early intervention programs, and mental health services, to recognise that variation in MHL may be a function of both the cultural origin of a refugee population and their resettlement country. Such recognition is needed in order to bridge the gap between Western, biomedical models for mental health care and the knowledge and beliefs of resettled refugee populations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13033-016-0065-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Resettled refugees are at high risk of trauma-related mental health problems, yet there is low uptake of mental health care in this population
Elucidating refugees’ awareness and understanding of mental health problems and their treatment has the potential to improve the uptake of mental health care where this is needed and inform the development of health promotion and early intervention programs
The goal of the current study was, to examine knowledge of, and beliefs about, the treatment of and help-seeking for post‐ traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) amongst Afghan refugees resettled in Australia
Summary
Resettled refugees are at high risk of trauma-related mental health problems, yet there is low uptake of mental health care in this population. Over the past two decades there has been an increased interest in research examining the mental health outcomes of refugees because of their exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTE’s) both prior and subsequent Research in this field is seeking to move beyond documenting the impact that trauma exposure has on. Yaser et al Int J Ment Health Syst (2016) 10:31 mental health outcomes in refugees, with an increased number of studies seeking to inform best practice treatment, early intervention and health promotion strategies for these populations [5]. This is based on the knowledge that factors such as cultural differences can influence the acceptability and efficacy of such interventions [6]. Elucidating refugees’ awareness and understanding of mental health problems and their treatment has the potential to improve the uptake of mental health care where this is needed and inform the development of health promotion and early intervention programs
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