A systematic review of Karen refugee health

Hoffman, Sarah J.; Robertson, Cheryl

doi:10.1108/ijmhsc-04-2015-0010

Cited by 25 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Between 2006 and 2009 approximately 786 Karen government assisted refugees were offered protection, through a group settlement initiative but continue to experience psychological distress due to limited support and lack of accessible health care services ( Marchbank et al , 2014 ). Lack of educational opportunities, inadequate translation services, worries about family left behind and employment are cited as major barriers to integration across international reviews on diverse ethnic Burmese ( Gilhooly and Lee, 2017 ; Hoffman and Robertson, 2016 ; Schweitzer et al , 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intersections of cultural, ethnic and gender ideals may compound levels of stress. These factors impacted Karen women’s mental health and are necessary for gaining access to employment, housing, social support and health care, which are main factors for successful integration and well-being ( Gilhooly and Lee, 2017 ; Hoffman and Robertson, 2016 ; Power and Pratt, 2012 ; Racine and Lu, 2015 ). Restructuring the environment of settlement support and public health is necessary to uphold nation states such as Canada’s commitment to human rights and international convention of the UNHCR, which aims to protect the rights of refugee women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These groups come from Mae La Oon and Mae Ra Ma Laung refugee camps and are considered the most difficult to reach, the most overcrowded and experience ongoing state-sponsored violence ( CIC, 2011 ; Norrsworthy and Khuankaew, 2004 ). Studies with Karen (pronounced Kuh-REN) refugees resettled to the USA have shown that gender and education are important determinants of settlement and integration ( Gilhooly and Lee, 2017 ; Hoffman and Robertson, 2016 ; Power and Pratt, 2012 ). A systematic review of Karen resettlement shows that mental health is related to a disruption of cultural collectiveness, and challenges to navigating the resettlement process, obtaining adequate housing and finding accessible education and health care (Sarah et al , 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring community capacity: Karen refugee women’s mental health

Clark

2018

I'tnl Jrnl Human Rights Health

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe Karen refugee women’s experience of resettlement and the factors which structured community capacity to support their mental health and well-being.Design/methodology/approachA postcolonial and feminist standpoint was used to bring Karen women’s voice to the knowledge production process. Data were collected through ethnographic field observation, in-depth semi-structured individual and focus group interviews with Karen women as well as healthcare and social service providers.FindingsThree interrelated themes emerged from the data: Karen women’s construction of mental health as “stress and worry”; gender, language and health literacy intersected, shaping Karen women’s access to health care and social resources; flexible partnerships between settlement agencies, primary care and public health promoted community capacity but were challenged by neoliberalism.Research limitations/implicationsKaren women and families are a diverse group with a unique historical context. Not all the findings are applicable across refugee women.Practical implicationsThis paper highlights the social determinants of mental health for Karen women and community responses for mitigating psychological distress during resettlement.Social implicationsPublic health policy requires a contextualized understanding of refugee women’s mental health. Health promotion in resettlement must include culturally safe provision of health care to mitigate sources of psychological distress during resettlement.Originality/valueThis research brings a postcolonial and feminist analysis to community capacity as a public health strategy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring community capacity: Karen refugee women’s mental health

Clark

2018

I'tnl Jrnl Human Rights Health

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“…Current estimates suggest that more than 17,000 Karen call Minnesota "home" (Karen Organization of Minnesota, 2017). The Karen face many challenges in the USA, including finding housing, accessing food, enrolling in health care and benefit programs, learning English language and accessing transportation (Brink et al, 2016;Hoffman and Robertson, 2016;Power and Pratt, 2012).…”

Section: A Brief History Of the Karenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health behaviors and goal setting among Karen youth

Danner

Freeman

Friedrichsen

et al. 2019

IJMHSC

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the health behaviors of Karen youth with that of the other subpopulation seen at a Minnesota clinic. Design/methodology/approach Demographic information and data on health status, recommended health behaviors and goal-setting patterns were collected via a review of the medical records of patients seen at a family medicine residency clinic in St Paul, Minnesota during a one-year period (July 2015–June 2016). Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Data on Karen patients were compared with data on other populations. Findings The study included 765 youths aged 3–17 years. The Karen youth in the study engaged in recommended health behaviors more frequently than their peers on almost every measure. There were statistically significant differences in the amount of sleep, intake of fruits and vegetables, screen time, number of active days per week and consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks between the Karen and their peers overall. Karen youth also reported consuming fewer sweets and fried or processed food than their peers, and they had lower BMI percentiles than other youth. Research limitations/implications The study relied on participant self-report, which is subject to potential inaccuracies in recall and reporting. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study detailing health behaviors of Karen youth in the USA. The findings suggest a window of opportunity to support and empower Karen families to maintain healthy habits in order to prevent the development of chronic disease in this community.

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“…Previous studies on the health and wellbeing of Burmese refugees have primarily focused on mental health, communicable diseases and pediatric malnutrition. Burmese refugees experience high rates of mental health issues due to past traumatic experiences (Shannon et al 2015;Van Wyk et al 2012;Cook et al 2015) and Hepatitis B and enteric parasites have been commonly reported (Hoffman & Robertson 2017). Examination of nutritional status has revealed many Burmese children arrive with nutrient deficiencies and signs of malnutrition, for example, Denburg et al, found 78% of children were below the 25th percentile in weight and 93% of children were below the 25th percentile for height upon arrival to the US (Denburg et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%