Community-based mental health for refugees: A qualitative study

Thursday, November 10, 2022

9:53 AM – 9:58 AM

Location: Station 10

Presenting Author(s)

SH

Sarah Hillegass, OTD OTR/L

Occupational Therapist
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Rawan AlHeresh, PhD OTR/L

Associate Professor
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Boxford, Massachusetts, United States

Research Objectives: To elicit in-depth feedback on a new, community-based mental health intervention for refugees living post resettlement in the USA to inform intervention development and the selection of culturally sensitive curriculum.

Design: Qualitative, focus group design. Three focus groups were conducted on Zoom in March of 2022.

Setting: This study was conducted virtually, in partnership with a community-based post-resettlement refugee agency in Providence, Rhode Island.

Participants: Eight refugees were purposively selected from the refugee agency. Participants had been resettled in the USA for between 6 months to 7 years (average = 3.5 years) and were from Angola, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq.

Interventions: The in-development refugee mental health intervention consists of 10 modules, with curriculum on psychoeducation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) strategies and stress reduction principles.

Main Outcome Measures: Written and verbal feedback on the intervention content was used to generate qualitative themes on acceptability of the intervention.

Results: Participant feedback yielded four themes: 1) intervention needs unique to refugees unaddressed in current intervention 2) perceived benefits of the mental health intervention and application to refugee community 3) accessibility of intervention content and 4) intervention session logistics. Mental health during resettlement is impacted by a refugee’s ability to establish a sense of stability and security while navigating a new physical, cultural and social environment; thus in addition to existing modules, refugees may benefit from additional content on navigating community systems (health, education, financial, etc.), American cultural norms, strategies for coping with social isolation and self-care practices.

Conclusions: Our study identifies areas to be included in a mental health intervention for refugees in the USA, highlighting cultural considerations for presenting written content and implementing sessions.

Author(s) Disclosures: No known conflicts.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to identify stressors unique to the refugee experience, describing how these factors may impact refugees’ overall daily participation and mental health during resettlement in the USA.
Participants will learn about refugee perceptions regarding a community-based mental health intervention, understanding what intervention content may be most relevant, applicable and desired by the refugee community.
Participants will gain insight into cultural considerations for arranging and conducting group-based interventions with refugees of diverse backgrounds and cultures.