ZusammenfassungDie Ankunft einer großen Anzahl Geflüchteter in Deutschland seit 2015 hat zu wachsenden Herausforderungen im Gesundheitssystem geführt, auch im psychosozialen Bereich. Um die Kenntnisse Geflüchteter über die Angebote im psychosozialen Bereich zu verbessern und erste Hilfestellungen anzubieten, wurden an der Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie der Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin eine manualisierte Peer-to-Peer-Unterstützung (P2P) entwickelt und P2P-Trainer/innen ausgebildet. In der hier beschriebenen Pilotstudie wurden vier P2P-Gruppen mit männlichen und weiblichen farsi / dari- oder arabischsprachigen Geflüchteten ausgewertet. Die Teilnehmenden wurden in Einzelinterviews zu wahrgenommenen Vor- und Nachteilen der P2P-Gruppe sowie ihrer Präferenzen und Erwartungen befragt. Die Daten wurden mithilfe der Software MAXQDA kodiert und thematisch analysiert. Alle Teilnehmenden der Gruppen äußerten Zufriedenheit mit dem P2P-Gruppenangebot. P2P half ihnen dabei, soziale Kontakte aufzubauen und soziale Unterstützung zu finden. Eine Flexibilisierung der P2P-Interventionen, ausgerichtet an individuellen Bedürfnissen, wurde gewünscht. Die Ergebnisse unserer Studie legen nahe, dass P2P-Ansätze die Integration von Geflüchteten in die psychosoziale Versorgung verbessern können.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with various psychological stressors due to health-related, social, economic, and individual consequences, especially for minority groups such as refugees and other migrants who live in unstable conditions and have lost their social support groups. The aim of this study was to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this specific population in Germany.This study used a mixed-method approach. A total of 85 migrants took part in an online survey in Germany from April to July 2020. The questionnaire included demographic information and measures of psychological distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as risk and protective factors for psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews with 10 refugees were conducted between May and June 2020. In our sample, 54.5% expressed fear of being infected with COVID-19. Participants spent several hours per day thinking about COVID-19 ( M   =  3.13 hours). Psychological and social determinants of mental health showed stronger associations with anxiety regarding COVID-19 than experiences with the disease. Interviews showed that especially for refugees with limited information regarding access to medical treatment, the pandemic increased already-existing psychological symptoms and worries about their families back home and reminded them of their flight from their home country to Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in refugees and migrants in Germany. Information on where to get medical treatment, if needed, is of utmost importance to this population group, in addition to other strategies such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle and social contacts, and acceptance of strategies to cope with anxiety and negative emotions.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a marked impact on educational disruption and progression of students. Linked to this, studies have demonstrated increases in depression, anxiety, and stress, with long-term outcomes yet to be understood. Students in Higher Education (HE) were at particular risk due to circumstances such as financial stress from job loss, shifting to online learning and uncertainties about the future, with many international students isolated from social support networks. This study explored lived experiences of determinants for academic disruption in HE students during the COVID-19 pandemic across Germany and the UK. Methods The study used qualitative secondary data collected from extension and mitigation claim forms from 2019 until 2021 from a university with campuses in the UK and Germany. A phenomenological perspective was utilised to draw out experiences and insights into determinants for mitigation from students to enhance our understanding of real problems encountered during a period of crisis. Thematic data analysis was used to create themes of influence for mitigation of assessments. Results Themes identified pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic included; pre-COVID: work-related commitments; bereavement; illness of a family member; mental and physical health issues; natural disasters, during 2020/21, themes created were; COVID-19 social impacts; workplace and financial demands; psychological distress; physical illness, with subthemes evolving such as family responsibilities; and caring for others; furlough and its financial impacts; heavy workload for frontline health care workers; mental health impacts; physical abuse and crime, COVID-19 physical symptoms. Conclusion We suggest an Integrated ‘Determinants of Wellbeing Framework’ for supporting HE students during critical times such as a pandemic. Our suggested framework was adapted from determining health inequalities and the concept of the ‘flourishing student’ that maps the relationship between the student, their environment and well-being. It is hoped the framework will serve to inform future theories around disruption to student progression and to explore the relevant impact on educational outcomes in HE thus assisting in appropriate support planning.

ZusammenfassungMit der wachsenden Zahl von Geflüchteten, die 2015 in Deutschland ankamen, entstand ein steigender Bedarf an Unterstützung und Betreuung in psychosozialen Angelegenheiten, auf Seiten der Geflüchteten wie auch der freiwilligen Helfer/innen. Das Forschungsprojekt ReWoven untersuchte die allgemeine Beziehungsgestaltung zwischen miteinander nicht unbedingt bekannten geflüchteten Frauen und weiblichen Freiwilligen mithilfe von 32 leitfadengestützten Interviews (16 mit arabisch- und farsisprachigen geflüchteten Frauen, 16 mit weiblichen Freiwilligen). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Unsicherheit bezüglich der Definition der „Freiwilligentätigkeit“ auf beiden Seiten sowie die Missverständnisse und Ungleichgewichte in ihrer Interaktion als Hindernisse für den Aufbau intensiver, reziproker Beziehungen zwischen den beiden Gruppen empfunden wurden. Dabei ist die Bedeutung der jeweiligen Organisation, in der diese Beziehungen entstehen, nicht zu vernachlässigen.