Beyond Asylum: Implications for Nursing and Health Care Delivery for Afghan Refugees in Australia

Abstract

Descriptions of the refugee experience, together with an analysis of access, use, and appropriateness of mental and physical health services as perceived by members of the Afghan immigrant or refugee community living in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, are reported in this article. Using focus groups and semistructured interviews in a variety of settings, the study included 13 key informants and 25 general informants, together with health care agencies providing services to the Afghans and organizations providing resources. Analysis of interviews with Afghan people revealed a number of themes. These include emotional responses to trauma, migration, and resettlement experiences; culture-specific health maintenance strategies; barriers impeding access to and appropriateness of Australian health care services; and informant-suggested strategies to enhance accessibility and the appropriateness of health care and community services. These findings are significant and have relevance for improving the quality of culture-specific health care for the Afghan community in NSW Australia.

Psychological Distress in Afghan Refugees: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review

“…Ten studies were combined as they essentially used the same sample in separate publications. These combinations were as follows: one mixed-method [81] and one quantitative (validation) study [101] (the other mixed-method study [80] was later eliminated as findings were reported for only a subset (one-third) of the entire sample); four qualitative studies [3, 85, 87, 88]; and four quantitative studies [90, 91, 98, 99]. This subsequently resulted in a total sample size ( n ) of 17 studies (one mixed-method, seven qualitative, nine quantitative).…”

Health services utilisation and barriers for settlers from the Horn of Africa

“…[5][6][7] In our study, overall proficiency and use of English in the home increased with a longer period of residency in Australia. However, the ability to communicate effectively with health professionals is also influenced by other factors such as knowledge of the 'language of healthcare' and cultural perceptions of illness.…”

Intensive care nurses’ encounters with multicultural families in Norway: An exploratory study

“…None of the nurses related the behaviour to the families' cultural characteristics. Omeri et al (2006) recommend empowering, improving interpreter services and promoting understanding of religious practices to improve the health of refugees entering Australia, which would be appropriate for nurses and multicultural families in other countries as well. The nurses perceive the Norwegian people as cool and emotionally non-expressive compared to culturally different families.…”