Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine the contribution of behavioral health treatment and several contextual factors – employment, English language proficiency, family separation, and local family support -- to psychological distress among newly resettled refugees over one year. Pre- and post-data were collected between July 2014 and January 2016 at an integrated care refugee clinic located in the western United States. The sample (N = 77) consisted of a diverse group of refugees, most of whom recently arrived from Burma, Iraq, Bhutan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia. The Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15) was used to measure psychological distress at the initial screening and at 12 months for refugees who indicated distress at baseline. Findings indicated a significant increase in psychological distress for those who were employed, and a significant decrease in distress for those with at least some English language proficiency and for those who have family residing in or near their country of origin. Research recommendations include using a larger sample size and more robust assessment tools to further understand the influence of family separation on psychological distress. Practice recommendations include providing advanced employment options and increasing host country language class access for newly arrived refugees.
Highlights
There has been exponential growth in the number of refugees, or individuals fleeing their home country for well-founded fear of persecution, across the world
While many studies have assessed the effects of mental health treatment [2, 8, 10, 19, 20] and contextual factors [21, 21, 23] on refugees’ psychological distress, less empirical work has been concentrated on the effects of contextual factors on psychological distress over time [24], which is the purpose of this study
The current study focused on the long term effects of four contextual factors on the psychological distress of newly arriving refugees: employment, English language proficiency, family separation, and local family support
Summary
There has been exponential growth in the number of refugees, or individuals fleeing their home country for well-founded fear of persecution, across the world. Studies have demonstrated that refugees tend to experience high levels of psychological distress [3, 4, 5, 6], and, in turn, suffer from a disproportionately higher percentage of mental health problems [7, 8]. Many refugees are exposed to significant rates of adverse and traumatic experiences, including persecution, exposure to war and violence, and losses of family members and friends [8, 9, 10, 11]. Refugees face significant contextual barriers (e.g., economic struggles, family separation, and acculturation difficulties) during the resettlement process [3, 16, 17, 18]. While many studies have assessed the effects of mental health treatment [2, 8, 10, 19, 20] and contextual factors [21, 21, 23] on refugees’ psychological distress, less empirical work has been concentrated on the effects of contextual factors on psychological distress over time [24], which is the purpose of this study
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
