Well-being Of Immigrant Women Research Articles

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG IMMIGRANT WOMEN: CHALLENGES, CAUSES AND WAYS TO OVERCOME

The article is dedicated to the critical examination of domestic violence among immigrant women, focusing on the identification of challenges, underlying causes, and the development of effective countermeasures to address and prevent such violence. The purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence in the context of immigrant populations and to unearth the complex interplay of cultural, social, and legal factors that influence these dynamics. The tasks of the research include: assessing the extent and nature of domestic violence within immigrant communities; exploring the cultural, social, and legal contributors to such violence; and identifying the barriers that prevent affected women from seeking and obtaining help. The results of the study reveal a nuanced understanding of domestic violence in immigrant communities, highlighting the multifarious barriers that immigrant women face, from language and cultural differences to legal and systemic obstacles. The results of the analysis showed that the principal issues faced by immigrant women in the sphere of domestic violence include alarmingly high instances of intimate partner violence, with reports from specific ethnic demographics indicating that as many as 61% of individuals may experience such abuse within their lifetimes. Cultural stigmas and language barriers are significant impediments, often deterring immigrant women from seeking necessary help and from leveraging the support mechanisms that exist. Сomplexities in navigating the legal and healthcare systems of their host countries contribute to a sense of disorientation and lack of support among these women. The absence of confidential and culturally sensitive interpreters in healthcare settings further obstructs open communication about experiences of domestic abuse. The practical significance lies in the article's potential to inform policymaking, enhance service provision, and guide community interventions, aiming to improve the safety and well-being of immigrant women.

The Effects of Stress, Depression, and Family System Perception on the Well-being of Immigrant Women: The Mediating Effect of Mental Violence

Background/ Objectives: This study was conducted to identify the structural relationships between stress, depression, family system perception, mental violence, and well-being among 249 immigrant women in Chungcheongnam-do. Methods/ Statistical Analysis: For the analysis, this study conducted frequency, reliability, and correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrap validation. Findings: First, there were positive correlations between stress, depression, and mental violence and also between family system perception and well-being. Both well-being and family system perception had negative correlations with stress, depression, and mental violence. Second, depression in immigrant women had a positive impact on mental violence, whereas family system perception had a negative impact; stress also had a positive impact on mental violence. Moreover, mental violence, depression, and stress had significant negative impacts on well-being. In contrast, family system perception had a significant positive impact on well-being. Third, mental violence was a mediating variable in the relationships between stress and well-being, depression and well-being, and family system perception and well-being. Application/ Improvement: This study will be used the wellbeing of immigrant women.

The Effects of Acculturative and Family-related Stress on the Well-being of Immigrant Women in Korea: The Mediating Effect of Hope

Background/ Objectives: This study was conducted to identify the structural relationships between acculturative stress, family-related stress, hope, and well-being in 609 immigrant women in 10 cities and provinces. Methods/ Statistical Analysis: The study conducted frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping. Findings: First, acculturative stress had a negative correlation with family-related stress and also with the positive factor of well-being. In contrast, it had a positive correlation with the negative factor of well-being. Hope had a positive correlation with the positive factor of well-being but a negative correlation with the negative factor of well-being. Second, acculturative stress had a significant negative impact on hope and well-being, as did family-related stress. Hope had a statistically significant positive impact on well-being. Third, it was confirmed that hope was a mediating variable in the relationship between immigrant women’s family-related stress and their well-being. Application/ Improvement: This study will be applicable for increasing the wellbeing of immigrant people.

Social support, social conflict, and immigrant women's mental health in a Canadian context: a scoping review.

Social support has positive and negative dimensions, each of which has been associated with mental health outcomes. Social networks can also serve as sources of distress and conflict. This paper reviews journal articles published during the last 24 years to provide a consolidated summary of the role of social support and social conflict on immigrant women's mental health. The review reveals that social support can help immigrant women adjust to the new country, prevent depression and psychological distress, and access care and services. When social support is lacking or social networks act as a source of conflict, it can have negative effects on immigrant women's mental health. It is crucial that interventions, programmes, and services incorporate strategies to both enhance social support as well as reduce social conflict, in order to improve mental health and well-being of immigrant women. Researchers have documented the protective role of social support and the harmful consequences of social conflict on physical and mental health. However, consolidated information about social support, social conflict, and mental health of immigrant women in Canada is not available. This scoping review examined literature from the last 24 years to understand how social support and social conflict affect the mental health of immigrant women in Canada. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Healthstar, and EMBASE for peer-reviewed publications focusing on mental health among immigrant women in Canada. Thirty-four articles that met our inclusion criteria were reviewed, and are summarized under the following four headings: settlement challenges and the need for social support; social support and mental health outcomes; social conflict and reciprocity; and social support, social conflict, and mental health service use. The results revealed that social support can have a positive effect on immigrant women's mental health and well-being, and facilitate social inclusion and the use of health services. When social support is lacking or social networks act as a source of conflict, it can have negative effects on immigrant women's mental health. The results also highlighted the need for health services to be linguistically-appropriate and culturally-safe, and provide appropriate types of care and support in a timely manner in order to be helpful to immigrant women.

Leisure Participation and Well-being of Immigrant Women in Canada

Introduction: Migration across international borders is an identifying feature of 21st century globalization. Employment is an important criterion of integration, however, its prominence has deflected attention from other complex issues, namely how health is influenced by participation through cultural, social, and community occupations. Research on leisure participation has identified its positive impact on the well-being of various populations facing occupational disruptions, thus leisure participation and its potential role in the well-being of ‘immigrant women’ during the occupational disruption and transition of resettlement is worthy of research. Objectives: This study examined participation in leisure occupations for migrant women in the process of resettlement and experiencing changed environments. The research question was: How does the process of resettlement in Canada influence the ways women understand and participate in leisure? Methodology: This study was framed by ethnographic and critical theory perspectives. Data were collected from 14 migrant women in Canada through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Findings: The first theme, Orchestrating the Day, illustrates occupational transitions and offers a necessary context for understanding the second theme, Socializing is the Key to Leisure. Bourdieu's concepts of capital and a transactional perspective of action helped to interpret the findings. Conclusion: The participants' daily occupations helped to reveal what constitutes leisure and how leisure fits within their lives. Many women defined leisure broadly as whatever supported their physical and emotional health.

Becoming Resilient: Promoting the Mental Health and Well-Being of Immigrant Women in a Canadian Context

This paper reports on grounded theory findings that are relevant to promoting the mental health and well-being of immigrant women in Canada. The findings illustrate how relationships among settlement factors and dynamics of empowerment had implications for “becoming resilient” as immigrant women and how various health promotion approaches enhanced their well-being. Dimensions of empowerment were embedded in the content and process of the feminist health promotion approach used in this study. Four focus groups were completed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with 35 racialized immigrant women who represented diverse countries of origin: 25 were from Africa; others were equally represented from South Asia (5), Asia (5), and Central or South America and the Caribbean (5). Participants represented diverse languages, family dynamics, and educational backgrounds. One focus group was conducted in Somali; three were conducted in English. Constructivist grounded theory, theoretical sampling, and a critical feminist approach were chosen to be congruent with health promotion research that fostered women's empowerment. Findings foreground women's agency in the study process, the ways that immigrant women name and frame issues relevant to their lives, and the interplay among individual, family, community, and structural dynamics shaping their well-being. Implications for mental health promotion are discussed.

Welfare Reform and Women's Health: Review of the Literature and Implications for State Policy

In August 1996, the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (P.L. 104-193) was signed into law, ending a 60-year federal entitlement guaranteeing families some basic level of assistance during periods of economic hardship. Several components of this new legislation have the potential to impact upon the health and well-being of women and children. We summarize studies examining the relationship between welfare participation and physical and mental well-being of women and what is known about the effects of poverty on health; the patterns of employment among welfare participants and the health consequences of low-wage work on women; domestic violence among welfare recipients; the potential health consequences of the provisions of the new Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program for women's and adolescent health; and the consequences of the new TANF provisions for the health and well-being of immigrant women. We discuss the implications for policy makers in monitoring and minimizing the negative impact of welfare reforms on women's health and well-being.