Enhancing mental strength support for refugees through social principal: A comprehensive review

Janis Hashmi; Rashmi Mehrotra; Hansika Disawala; Smita Manohar Gaikwad

doi:10.31893/multirev.2023ss028

Keywords:

Abstract

Refugees experience physical problems and extreme psychological as well as emotional stress as a result of the trauma of relocation, loss and the uncertainty of their future. Neglecting refugees' mental strength and social assistance needs can have long-term consequences for the individuals and the host communities. This highlights the need for comprehensive assistance programs that include basic requirements along with mental health treatment, education, skill training and chances for social inclusion. For this vulnerable category, we have limited information regarding social principle interventions at the individual and community levels that support mental health with little scientific data about the effectiveness of such interventions. This systematic review examines 536 publications on social-principle-based treatments for improving the mental health of refugees, 14 of which were chosen for examination. The material from these 14 publications assessed the studies, considering qualifying circumstances. The research results concentrate on many major issues, including mental health measurements, which provide insight into the assessment and evaluation instruments used to evaluate refugees' mental well-being. In addition, we discuss the difficulties that refugees encounter in obtaining appropriate mental health care, the amount of monitoring and its influence on their mental health outcomes. The study emphasizes the significance of tailored treatment options since customizing treatments to individual refugee needs is critical for effective mental health assistance. Finally, we explore the relevance of community-based therapeutic options, highlighting the importance of community engagement and support networks in boosting refugee mental health and well-being.
References
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6. Arnetz J, Rofa Y, Arnetz B, Ventimiglia M & Jamil H. (2023). Resilience as a protective factor against the development of psychopathology among refugees. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 201(3), 167.DOI: 10.1097%2FNMD.0b013e3182848afe
7. Assi R, Özger-İlhan S & İlhan MN. (2019). Health needs and access to health care: the case of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Public Health, 1, 172, 146-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2019.05.004
8. Bamford J, Fletcher M & Leavey G. (2021). Mental health outcomes of unaccompanied refugee minors: a rapid review of recent research. Current psychiatry reports, 23, 1-1.DOI: 10.1007/s11920-021-01262-8
9. Beiser M, Simich L, Pandalangat N, Nowakowski M & Tian F. (2021). Stresses of passage, balms of resettlement, and posttraumatic stress disorder among Sri Lankan Tamils in Canada. The canadian journal of psychiatry, 56(6), 333-40. DOI: 10.1177/070674371105600604
10. Beiser M, Wiwa O & Adebajo S. (2020). Human-initiated disaster, social disorganization and post-traumatic stress disorder above Nigeria’s oil basins. Social Science & Medicine, 1, 71(2), 221-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.03.039
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12. Debbarma R, Majumdar CB & Bhattacharjee A. (2021). Internally displaced persons and mental health issues: A review analysis. Indian Journal of Health and Well-being. 1, 12(2), 171-6.
13. Delaruelle K, Walsh SD, Dierckens M, Deforche B, Kern MR, Currie C, Maldonado CM, Cosma A & Stevens GW. (2021). Mental health in adolescents with a migration background in 29 European countries: the buffering role of social capital. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50, 855-71. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-021-01423-1
14. Dolan N & Sherlock C. (2020). Family support through childcare services: Meeting the needs of asylum-seeking and refugee families. Child Care in Practice, 1, 16(2), 147-65.DOI: 10.1080/13575270903493382
15. Grasser LR. (2022) Addressing mental health concerns in refugees and displaced populations: is enough being done?. Risk management and healthcare policy, 6, 909-22. DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S270233
16. Hikmet Jamil MD, Farrag M, Hakim-Larson J, Kafaji T, Abdulkhaleq H & Hammad A. (2017) Mental health symptoms in Iraqi refugees: posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Journal of cultural diversity, 14(1), 19.
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18. Ibrahim N, Honein-AbouHaidar G & Jomaa L. (2019) Perceived impact of community kitchens on the food security of Syrian refugees and kitchen workers in Lebanon: Qualitative evidence in a displacement context. PloS one, 25, 14(1), e0210814. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210814
19. Kuwert P, Brähler E, Glaesmer H, Freyberger HJ & Decker O. (2019) Impact of forced displacement during World War II on the present-day mental health of the elderly: a population-based study. International Psychogeriatrics, 21(4), 748-53. DOI: 10.1017/S1041610209009107
20. Lewis JL. (2021 ) Social capital: Supportive of Bhutanese refugees’ integration in the United States. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 22(1), 333-45. DOI: 10.1007/s12134-019-00750-4
21. Nickerson A, Byrow Y, O’Donnell M, Mau V, McMahon T, Pajak R, Li S, Hamilton A, Minihan S, Liu C & Bryant RA. (2019). The association between visa insecurity and mental health, disability and social engagement in refugees living in Australia. European journal of psychotraumatology, 31, 10(1), 1688129. DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1688129
22. Niemi, M.; Manhica, H.; Gunnarsson, D.; Ståhle, G.; Larsson, S. & Saboonchi, F. A (2019) Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Social Participation and Mental Health among Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health , 16, 4027. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16204027
23. Pedersen D, Tremblay J, Errazuriz C & Gamarra J (2018). The sequelae of political violence: Assessing trauma, suffering and dislocation in the Peruvian highlands. SocSci Med, 67, 205–217. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.03.040
24. Purgato M, Carswell K, Acarturk C, Au T, Akbai S, Anttila M, Baumgartner J, Bailey D, Biondi M, Bird M & Churchill R. (2019) Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Self-Help Plus (SH+) for preventing mental disorders in refugees and asylum seekers in Europe and Turkey: study protocols for two randomised controlled trials. BMJ open. 1, 9(5), e030259. DOI: 0.1136/bmjopen-2019-030259
25. Rizzi D, Ciuffo G, Sandoli G, Mangiagalli M, De Angelis P, Scavuzzo G, Nych M, Landoni M & Ionio C. (2022). Running away from the war in Ukraine: the impact on mental health of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in transit in Poland. International journal of environmental research and public health. 8, 19(24), 16439. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416439
26. Schlaudt VA, Bosson R, Williams MT, German B, Hooper LM, Frazier V, Carrico R & Ramirez J. (2020). Traumatic experiences and mental health risk for refugees. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(6), 1943. DOI; 10.3390/ijerph17061943
27. Strang AB & Quinn N. (2021). Integration or isolation? Refugees' social connections and well-being. Journal of Refugee Studies. 1, 34(1), 328-53. DOI: 10.1093/jrs/fez040
28. Suarez EB. (2023) Two decades later: The resilience and post-traumatic responses of Indigenous Quechua girls and adolescents in the aftermath of the Peruvian armed conflict. Child Abuse&Neglect.1, 37(2-3), 200-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2012.09.011
29. Tarannum S, Elshazly M, Harlass S & Ventevogel P. (2019) Integrating mental health into primary health care in Rohingya refugee settings in Bangladesh: experiences of UNHCR. Intervention Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas. 1, 17(2), 130-9.
30. Uphoff E, Robertson L, Cabieses B, Villalón FJ, Purgato M, Churchill R & Barbui C. (2020) An overview of systematic reviews on mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment of common mental disorders for refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (9). DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013458.pub2
31. Veronese G, Pepe A, Sala G, Yamien I & Vigliaroni M. (2019) Positive experience, psychological functioning, and hope for the future as factors associated with mental health among young Sub-Saharan internally displaced people (IDP): A quantitative pilot study. International Journal of Mental Health. 3; 48(3), 165-87. DOI: 10.1080/00207411.2019.1635849
32. Weissbecker I, Hanna F, El Shazly M, Gao J & Ventevogel P. (2019). Integrative mental health and psychosocial support interventions for refugees in humanitarian crisis settings. An uncertain safety: Integrative health care for the 21st century refugees, 117-53. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-72914-5_6
33. Wistrand JS. (2023) A Development Approach to a Protracted IDP Situation: Lessons from Azerbaijan. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 11(1), 23-40. DOI: 10.1177/23315024231158558
34. Yu B, Chen X, Elliott AL, Wang Y, Li F & Gong J. (2019) Social capital, migration stress, depression and sexual risk behaviors among rural-to-urban migrants in China: a moderated mediation modeling analysis. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 4, 32(4), 362-75. DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2019.1596673
35. Zhu Y, Gao J, Nie X, Dai J & Fu H. (2019) Associations of individual social capital with subjective well-being and mental health among migrants: a survey from five cities in China. International health. 1, 11(1), S64-71. DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihz041

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Hashmi, J., Mehrotra, R., Disawala, H., & Gaikwad, S. M. (2024). Enhancing mental strength support for refugees through social principal: A comprehensive review. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 6, 2023ss028. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2023ss028

[1] Acarturk C, McGrath M, Roberts B, Ilkkursun Z, Cuijpers P, Sijbrandij M, Sondorp E, Ventevogel P, McKee M & Fuhr DC, (2021). Strengths Consortium. Prevalence and predictors of common mental disorders among Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Turkey: a cross-sectional study. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 56, 475-84. DOI; 10.1007/s00127-020-01941-6

[2] Almohamed A & Vyas D. (2019). Rebuilding social capital in refugees and asylum seekers. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 14, 26(6), 1-30. DOI: 10.1145/3364996

[3] Amodu OC, Richter MS & Salami BO. (2020). A scoping review of the health of conflict-induced internally displaced women in Africa. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1280. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17041280

[4] Andersson P. (2021) Post-traumatic stress symptoms linked to hidden Holocaust trauma among adult Finnish evacuees separated from their parents as children in World War II, 1939–1945: A case-control study. International psychogeriatrics, 23(4), 654-61. DOI: 10.1017/S1041610210001791

[5] Araya M, Chotai J, Komproe IH & de Jong JT. (2021). Quality of life after post-conflict displacement in Ethiopia: comparing placement in a community setting with that in shelters. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 46, 585-93. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-010-0223-1

[6] Arnetz J, Rofa Y, Arnetz B, Ventimiglia M & Jamil H. (2023). Resilience as a protective factor against the development of psychopathology among refugees. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 201(3), 167.DOI: 10.1097%2FNMD.0b013e3182848afe

[7] Assi R, Özger-İlhan S & İlhan MN. (2019). Health needs and access to health care: the case of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Public Health, 1, 172, 146-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2019.05.004

[8] Bamford J, Fletcher M & Leavey G. (2021). Mental health outcomes of unaccompanied refugee minors: a rapid review of recent research. Current psychiatry reports, 23, 1-1.DOI: 10.1007/s11920-021-01262-8

[9] Beiser M, Simich L, Pandalangat N, Nowakowski M & Tian F. (2021). Stresses of passage, balms of resettlement, and posttraumatic stress disorder among Sri Lankan Tamils in Canada. The canadian journal of psychiatry, 56(6), 333-40. DOI: 10.1177/070674371105600604

[10] Beiser M, Wiwa O & Adebajo S. (2020). Human-initiated disaster, social disorganization and post-traumatic stress disorder above Nigeria’s oil basins. Social Science & Medicine, 1, 71(2), 221-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.03.039

[11] Bhui K, Mohamud S, Warfa N, Curtis S, Stansfeld S & Craig T. (2022). Forced residential mobility and social support: impacts on psychiatric disorders among Somali migrants. BMC international health and human rights, 12(1), 1-1.DOI: 10.1186/1472-698X-12-4

[12] Debbarma R, Majumdar CB & Bhattacharjee A. (2021). Internally displaced persons and mental health issues: A review analysis. Indian Journal of Health and Well-being. 1, 12(2), 171-6.

[13] Delaruelle K, Walsh SD, Dierckens M, Deforche B, Kern MR, Currie C, Maldonado CM, Cosma A & Stevens GW. (2021). Mental health in adolescents with a migration background in 29 European countries: the buffering role of social capital. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50, 855-71. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-021-01423-1

[14] Dolan N & Sherlock C. (2020). Family support through childcare services: Meeting the needs of asylum-seeking and refugee families. Child Care in Practice, 1, 16(2), 147-65.DOI: 10.1080/13575270903493382

[15] Grasser LR. (2022) Addressing mental health concerns in refugees and displaced populations: is enough being done?. Risk management and healthcare policy, 6, 909-22. DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S270233

[16] Hikmet Jamil MD, Farrag M, Hakim-Larson J, Kafaji T, Abdulkhaleq H & Hammad A. (2017) Mental health symptoms in Iraqi refugees: posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Journal of cultural diversity, 14(1), 19.

[17] Hooberman J, Rosenfeld B, Rasmussen A & Keller A. (2020) Resilience in trauma‐exposed refugees: The moderating effect of coping style on resilience variables. American journal of orthopsychiatry, 80(4), 557. DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01060.x

[18] Ibrahim N, Honein-AbouHaidar G & Jomaa L. (2019) Perceived impact of community kitchens on the food security of Syrian refugees and kitchen workers in Lebanon: Qualitative evidence in a displacement context. PloS one, 25, 14(1), e0210814. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210814

[19] Kuwert P, Brähler E, Glaesmer H, Freyberger HJ & Decker O. (2019) Impact of forced displacement during World War II on the present-day mental health of the elderly: a population-based study. International Psychogeriatrics, 21(4), 748-53. DOI: 10.1017/S1041610209009107

[20] Lewis JL. (2021 ) Social capital: Supportive of Bhutanese refugees’ integration in the United States. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 22(1), 333-45. DOI: 10.1007/s12134-019-00750-4

[21] Nickerson A, Byrow Y, O’Donnell M, Mau V, McMahon T, Pajak R, Li S, Hamilton A, Minihan S, Liu C & Bryant RA. (2019). The association between visa insecurity and mental health, disability and social engagement in refugees living in Australia. European journal of psychotraumatology, 31, 10(1), 1688129. DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1688129

[22] Niemi, M.; Manhica, H.; Gunnarsson, D.; Ståhle, G.; Larsson, S. & Saboonchi, F. A (2019) Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Social Participation and Mental Health among Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health , 16, 4027. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16204027

[23] Pedersen D, Tremblay J, Errazuriz C & Gamarra J (2018). The sequelae of political violence: Assessing trauma, suffering and dislocation in the Peruvian highlands. SocSci Med, 67, 205–217. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.03.040

[24] Purgato M, Carswell K, Acarturk C, Au T, Akbai S, Anttila M, Baumgartner J, Bailey D, Biondi M, Bird M & Churchill R. (2019) Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Self-Help Plus (SH+) for preventing mental disorders in refugees and asylum seekers in Europe and Turkey: study protocols for two randomised controlled trials. BMJ open. 1, 9(5), e030259. DOI: 0.1136/bmjopen-2019-030259

[25] Rizzi D, Ciuffo G, Sandoli G, Mangiagalli M, De Angelis P, Scavuzzo G, Nych M, Landoni M & Ionio C. (2022). Running away from the war in Ukraine: the impact on mental health of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in transit in Poland. International journal of environmental research and public health. 8, 19(24), 16439. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416439

[26] Schlaudt VA, Bosson R, Williams MT, German B, Hooper LM, Frazier V, Carrico R & Ramirez J. (2020). Traumatic experiences and mental health risk for refugees. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(6), 1943. DOI; 10.3390/ijerph17061943

[27] Strang AB & Quinn N. (2021). Integration or isolation? Refugees' social connections and well-being. Journal of Refugee Studies. 1, 34(1), 328-53. DOI: 10.1093/jrs/fez040

[28] Suarez EB. (2023) Two decades later: The resilience and post-traumatic responses of Indigenous Quechua girls and adolescents in the aftermath of the Peruvian armed conflict. Child Abuse&Neglect.1, 37(2-3), 200-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2012.09.011

[29] Tarannum S, Elshazly M, Harlass S & Ventevogel P. (2019) Integrating mental health into primary health care in Rohingya refugee settings in Bangladesh: experiences of UNHCR. Intervention Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas. 1, 17(2), 130-9.

[30] Uphoff E, Robertson L, Cabieses B, Villalón FJ, Purgato M, Churchill R & Barbui C. (2020) An overview of systematic reviews on mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment of common mental disorders for refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (9). DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013458.pub2

[31] Veronese G, Pepe A, Sala G, Yamien I & Vigliaroni M. (2019) Positive experience, psychological functioning, and hope for the future as factors associated with mental health among young Sub-Saharan internally displaced people (IDP): A quantitative pilot study. International Journal of Mental Health. 3; 48(3), 165-87. DOI: 10.1080/00207411.2019.1635849

[32] Weissbecker I, Hanna F, El Shazly M, Gao J & Ventevogel P. (2019). Integrative mental health and psychosocial support interventions for refugees in humanitarian crisis settings. An uncertain safety: Integrative health care for the 21st century refugees, 117-53. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-72914-5_6

[33] Wistrand JS. (2023) A Development Approach to a Protracted IDP Situation: Lessons from Azerbaijan. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 11(1), 23-40. DOI: 10.1177/23315024231158558

[34] Yu B, Chen X, Elliott AL, Wang Y, Li F & Gong J. (2019) Social capital, migration stress, depression and sexual risk behaviors among rural-to-urban migrants in China: a moderated mediation modeling analysis. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 4, 32(4), 362-75. DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2019.1596673

[35] Zhu Y, Gao J, Nie X, Dai J & Fu H. (2019) Associations of individual social capital with subjective well-being and mental health among migrants: a survey from five cities in China. International health. 1, 11(1), S64-71. DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihz041

Abstract

References

How to cite