Housing Precarity and Collective Belonging: Refugee Claims-making and the Contestation of Race, Space, and Place in Urban Housing

This qualitative case study examines the resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees through semi-structured interviews with eighteen Syrian refugees living in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Resettlement experiences reveal challenges to refugees’ long-term integration, address the limitation in state policy practices, and provide insight to meet refugees’ needs. Findings indicate that Syrian refugees’ resettlement generates serious obstacles to their integration, including uninhabitable homes, unsafe neighborhoods, job insecurity and economic instability, lack of language proficiency, and social isolation. The findings also show that the resettlement policies and programs aimed to promote refugees’ self-sufficiency are not compatible with their self- identified needs of Syrian refugees. However, state and local resettlement agencies collaboration with refugees may ease refugees’ transition. Future research may explore the experiences of Syrian refugees who settle in other regions of United States to determine if their experiences differ based on location. Identifying the impact of contextual factors on the resettlement experiences of refugees can help us develop programs and policies that address the subjective needs of both Syrian and other refugee populations.

Owing to the 2011 civil war, many Syrians have become displaced internally within the country, have fled to neighboring countries in the region, or have resettled as refugees in the United States (US) through the United States Resettlement Program (USRP). Few studies have been conducted on the mental health of adult Syrian refugees in the US. We conducted an ecological study on the relationship between the mental health status of Syrian refugees in the US, risk factors that negatively affect their mental health post-settlement, and the barriers that prevent them from seeking mental health care. We found that racialization, targeting, under-employment, and concerns about relatives still in Syria negatively affect the mental health of Syrian refugees post-settlement. Challenges with the English language, stigma, lack of access to adequate insurance and transportation, and poor health system acculturation were barriers to Syrian refugee mental health care-seeking behavior in the US. While the US is accepting and resettling Syrian refugees in various parts of the country, it is also important that it focuses on and invests in the mental health needs of the refugees, so as to improve their physical and mental well-being.

Owing to the 2011 civil war, many Syrians have become displaced internally within the country, have fled to neighboring countries in the region, or have resettled as refugees in the United States (US) through the United States Resettlement Program (USRP). Few studies have been conducted on the mental health of adult Syrian refugees in the US. We conducted an ecological study on the relationship between the mental health status of Syrian refugees in the US, risk factors that negatively affect their mental health post-settlement, and the barriers that prevent them from seeking mental health care. We found that racialization, targeting, under-employment, and concerns about relatives still in Syria negatively affect the mental health of Syrian refugees post-settlement. Challenges with the English language, stigma, lack of access to adequate insurance and transportation, and poor health system acculturation were barriers to Syrian refugee mental health care-seeking behavior in the US. While the US is accepting and resettling Syrian refugees in various parts of the country, it is also important that it focuses on and invests in the mental health needs of the refugees, so as to improve their physical and mental well-being. Copyright © 2023 Arsmtrong-Mensah et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.

Housing in urban and rural areas in China has been different in many ways since the PRC was founded. First, cost is different. The cost for urban housing is high and that for rural housing is low. Second, construction standards are different. Urban housing features apartment buildings and rural housing courtyard structure. Third, quality and functions are different. Compared with urban housing, rural housing features low quality and low complete set ratio. Fourth, environment is different. Compared with urban housing, rural infrastructure is poor, the living environment is disorderly and public services are of a low level. Fifth, as a sub-system of the general economic system, China’s urban and rural housing systems, like many others, differ from place to place and segmented.

Approximately 18,000 Syrian refugees have resettled to the United States. Half of these refugees are children, whose age and refugee status jeopardize their abilities to attain quality healthcare. Information on Syrian refugees' health in the U.S. is limited. This qualitative study sought to explore Syrian refugee parents' beliefs, perspectives, and practices regarding their children's health through in-depth interviews. Eighteen Syrian refugee parents residing in Cincinnati, Ohio were interviewed in Arabic by bilingual researchers using semi-structured in-depth interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and translated. Three members of the research team independently coded each interview using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Analysis identified four salient themes: stressors preclude health seeking behaviors, parents perceive health barriers, parents are dissatisfied with the healthcare system, and parents use resilience behaviors to overcome barriers. Stressors included poor housing and neighborhoods, reliving traumatic experiences, depression and anxiety, and social isolation. Dissatisfaction included emergency room wait times, lack of testing and prescriptions. Health barriers included missed appointments and inadequate transportation, translation services, health literacy and care coordination. Parents reported resilience through faith, by seeking knowledge, use of natural remedies, and utilizing community resources. This qualitative study provides information on the beliefs, practices, and behaviors of Syrian refugee parents related to health care utilization of pediatric refugees in the United States. Psychosocial and environmental stressors as well as perceived systemic health barriers, hinder health seeking behaviors in Syrian refugee parents. Culturally relevant care targeting perceived barriers and incorporating resilience behaviors may improve parental satisfaction and parental health seeking behaviors. Further study is needed to implement and evaluate interventions that target identified barriers.

Introduction: Displacement due to war or persecution has resulted in an unprecedented refugee crisis. Refugees face increased cardiovascular disease risk and poor blood pressure (BP) control. Yet, insights into their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) influencing BP management are limited. Objective: To examine associations between KAP and BP control among Iraqi and Syrian refugees resettled in the United States. Method: Refugees from Iraq and Syria diagnosed with hypertension were recruited using a patient list at a federally qualified health center in San Diego. They completed a KAP survey and measured home BP (HMBP) using digital cuffs for at least 3 days/week for 4 weeks. Scores were computed for each KAP sub-scale; knowledge (0-16), attitude (1-20), and practice (1-8). Scores were categorized into quartiles (poor-excellent). The outcome was BP control calculated from an average of HMBP readings over 3 days for 4 weeks. Mixed effect logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between each KAP quartile and BP control (<130/80 mmHg). Results: Final analysis included 95 refugees (79% Iraqis, 21% Syrians). Participants were male (56%), with mean age 58.4 (±16.34) years, 86% unemployed, 22% had at least a Bachelor's degree, 66% had limited English proficiency and only 3.6% had annual income ≥$35,000. The mean scores were as follows: BP 129/79 mmHg, with 61% having uncontrolled BP, knowledge 13.2 (± 2.37), attitude 14.6 (± 2.38), and practice 6.5 (± 1.17). Higher knowledge correlated with higher odds of BP control (adjusted Odds ratio (aOR): 1.89,95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.39 - 2.55). Those who had fair and good attitude had lower odds of BP control (aOR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.52 0.77; OR: 0.58, CI: 0.45 - 0.75) respectively (Table). Conclusion: Findings suggest poorer BP knowledge correlates with BP control in Syrian and Iraqi refugees who are receiving BP care. Tailored health interventions for refugees are needed to promote cardiovascular health equity.

This article presents an energy-efficient multiplex housing project proposed in response to a local affordable housing crisis among low-income urban neighborhoods in Chattanooga, TN, in the United States. The project adopted the systems thinking approach, which encouraged design students to think beyond individual components and consider the interconnections of various systems within and around the multiplex housing, including daylight analysis, market analysis, life cycle assessment, and energy performance evaluation. To respond to the local-specific housing market and climate conditions, the students from the multidiscipline collaboratively engaged in the design process to understand the project's environmental, social, and economic contexts and implement the passive design strategies into energy-efficient and affordable multiplex housing design to meet low-income families’ economic and social needs. The project site and design requirements were provided by a local nonprofit housing development organization that was a client of the project. This article highlights the significance of students’ systems thinking exercises in achieving energy-efficient affordable housing solutions in low-income urban neighborhoods through passive design strategies.

As social capital continues to grow as a strategy for achieving improved outcomes for families in poverty, it is crucial to have more accurate definitions and measures of the concept. This study defines one aspect of social capital as bonding in low-income urban neighborhoods. In the context of this study, bonding social capital in low-income urban neighborhoods refers to the trusting relationships that exist among neighbors. This study tests the reliability and validity of a bonding social capital measure using five items of social cohesion and trust that are widely used in the field and were originally developed by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). Survey data collected in 2002 and 2003 from 7,437 respondents living in low-income urban neighborhoods and participating in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connections initiative are used to test the measurement properties of bonding social capital in low-income urban neighborhoods. Findings suggest that two of the five items could be revised to strengthen the measure. Findings also suggest that future research should focus on the measurement and modeling of specific aspects of social capital to accurately understand effects for families living in low-income neighborhoods.

ABSTRACTWho supports allowing Syrian refugees into the United States? As a candidate, Donald Trump clearly opposed doing so. In contrast, religious leaders across the broad spectrum of religious traditions in the United States have drawn on sacred texts to call their people to action in response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Many explicitly ask the government to resettle Syrian refugees in the United States. Thus, many Republicans may have experienced cross-cutting pressures. Analyses of three surveys from 2015 and 2016 found that party identification, ideology, support for Trump, partisan-news consumption, religious-service attendance, age, and education predicted support for bringing Syrian refugees to the United States. Overall, the partisan and ideological variables were far more predictive of attitudes than religious variables. These results raise important questions about refugee politics and contexts in which religious forces conflict with partisan and ideological forces.

BackgroundApproximately 18,000 Syrian refugees have resettled to the United States. Half of these refugees are children, whose age and refugee status jeopardize their abilities to attain quality healthcare. Information on Syrian refugees’ health in the U.S. is limited. This qualitative study sought to explore Syrian refugee parents’ beliefs, perspectives, and practices regarding their children’s health through in-depth interviews.MethodsEighteen Syrian refugee parents residing in Cincinnati, Ohio were interviewed in Arabic by bilingual researchers using semi-structured in-depth interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and translated. Three members of the research team independently coded each interview using an inductive thematic analysis approach.ResultsAnalysis identified four salient themes: stressors preclude health seeking behaviors, parents perceive health barriers, parents are dissatisfied with the healthcare system, and parents use resilience behaviors to overcome barriers. Stressors included poor housing and neighborhoods, reliving traumatic experiences, depression and anxiety, and social isolation. Dissatisfaction included emergency room wait times, lack of testing and prescriptions. Health barriers included missed appointments and inadequate transportation, translation services, health literacy and care coordination. Parents reported resilience through faith, by seeking knowledge, use of natural remedies, and utilizing community resources.ConclusionThis qualitative study provides information on the beliefs, practices, and behaviors of Syrian refugee parents related to health care utilization of pediatric refugees in the United States. Psychosocial and environmental stressors as well as perceived systemic health barriers, hinder health seeking behaviors in Syrian refugee parents. Culturally relevant care targeting perceived barriers and incorporating resilience behaviors may improve parental satisfaction and parental health seeking behaviors. Further study is needed to implement and evaluate interventions that target identified barriers.

Background There have been a limited number of studies that have focused on factors which shape the experiences of resettlement and occupational injustice among refugee populations. Purpose To explore the factors that shape the living difficulties of Syrian refugees who were lawfully admitted into the United States and ways whereby they might interfere with shaping occupational injustice. Method Mixed methodologies were incorporated. The living difficulty scale for refugees (LDSR) was disseminated. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and fieldnotes were collected as sources of qualitative data. Results 254 participants (mean age 36.2 ± 9.6 yrs; 159 females and 95 males) completed the survey, and nine of them participated in the semistructured interviews. Age (p < 0.01), region (p < 0.001), and time in the United States (p < 0.05) had significant effects on the experiences of the participants, but not gender (p = 0.308). Occupational injustice is an outcome of an interaction between interpersonal and contextual factors. Practice Implications. Occupational therapists need to assume a vital role in maximizing opportunities of engagement in meaningful occupations for Syrian refugees to counteract occupational injustice and difficulties associated with resettlement.

Book Review| October 01 2007 Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada, Irene Bloemraad. Janelle Wong Janelle Wong Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Journal of American Ethnic History (2007) 27 (1): 110–111. https://doi.org/10.2307/40543278 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Janelle Wong; Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada. Journal of American Ethnic History 1 January 2007; 27 (1): 110–111. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/40543278 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressJournal of American Ethnic History Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright 2007 Immigration and Ethnic History Society2007 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Approximately 5 million refugees have been displaced since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. In 2016, the refugee crisis reached deadly proportions, causing many Syrians to flee their homes in search of asylum. Individual responses to refugees differed as Syrians attempted to resettle throughout the world. Research has shown that religious orientation (intrinsic, extrinsic, quest), religious commitment, and personality traits can help explain prejudicial attitudes toward outgroups. The purpose of this study is to examine the role that personality and religion play in predicting prejudicial attitudes toward Syrian refugees in the United States. The study’s sample consists of 844 participants recruited during the height of the Syrian refugee crisis. Participants completed online surveys through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Results of hierarchical regression indicated that personality explained about 14% of the variance in prejudicial attitudes; specifically, Extroversion and Conscientiousness were positively related to prejudice, whereas Agreeableness was negatively related. Religious commitment and religious orientation explained an additional 0.8% to 2.5% variance, respectively, in prejudicial attitudes above and beyond personality. We discuss implications of findings for future research and practice.

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with disturbed sleep. However, the impact of sleep disturbances and PTSD symptomology in refugee populations is not well known. This study examined how PTSD-related sleep symptoms and overall sleep quality were impacted by previous and current traumatic and stressful experiences. Methods Adult Syrian refugees living in Southeast Michigan were assessed via scheduled in-home interviews. Overall sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. PTSD-related sleep disturbances were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Addendum. The presence of PTSD symptomatology was assessed via self-report using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist. The Life Events Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition-5 screened for prior traumatic events experienced and the Postmigration Living Difficulties Questionnaire was assessed for postmigration stressors. Correlational analysis was conducted between overall sleep quality, PTSD symptom severity, and previous trauma experienced. A stepwise linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the role of overall sleep quality, PTSD-specific sleep disturbances, current living difficulties, and the number of preimmigration traumatic events directly experienced or witnessed due to the presence of overall PTSD symptomology. Results A total of 53 adults completed the study. PTSD-disturbed sleep was found to be positively associated with overall poor sleep quality ( r = 0.42, p < 0.01), PTSD symptomology ( r = 0.65, p < 0.01), and current living difficulties ( r = 0.37, p < 0.05). The PTSD-related sleep disturbances (B = 0.66, p < 0.01) and postmigration living difficulties (B = 0.44, p < 0.01) were found to be the strongest predictors of PTSD symptoms. Conclusion Disturbed sleep is strongly associated with current stressful experiences and PTSD symptomology among Syrian refugees.

The urban housing system in most of Central and East Europe (CEE) is undergoing decentralization, deregulation, and privatization together with other basic changes due to the fall of the iron curtain, the demise of the Soviet Union, and the reinstitution of democracy. In most of the CEE, the urban housing sector is economically important, accounting for 10-20% of total economic activity. In view of its implications for land use, energy consumption, waste generation, and water pollution, it also has a significant effect on sustainability of development. A prime development need in the CEE, according to the World Bank, is to improve the performance of the urban housing sector for economic, social, environmental, and political reasons. This paper describes the urban housing model of the CEE before reform and analyzes changes to that model that began with the privatization reforms in the early 1990s. The paper details the strengths and weaknesses of the reforms and suggests that there are some resource distribution inequities that are accentuated under reform. It discusses the pricing issues in urban housing reforms, as well as the financing of urban housing, and briefly recounts matters related to mobility of labor, spatial issues of urban housing development, urban infrastructure, peripheral urban growth, and titling and property registration that have come about as state socialism is replaced by a more open market.