Getting out of the seclusion trap? Work as meaningful occupation for the subjective well-being of asylum seekers in South Tyrol, Italy

Lintner, Claudia; Elsen, Susanne

doi:10.1080/14427591.2017.1373256

Cited by 31 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Further, the social dimensions of health and well-being have been shown to have a large impact on asylum seekers and refugees. Lintner and Elsen, in their assessment of the subjective well-being of asylum seekers in South Tyrol, Italy, posit that a sense of connectedness and belonging, understood as feeling oneself as part of a social system in which one is actively and meaningfully engaged and valued by others, is essential to a holistic approach to the health, well-being, and adaptation to this community [50]. Our results echo this sentiment, with feelings of uselessness and a lack of connectedness representing a major complaint from our participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative study of health experiences of Ethiopian asylum seekers in Norway

Schein

Winje

Myhre

et al. 2019

BMC Health Serv Res

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BackgroundNorway, like other European countries, has a growing refugee population. Upon arrival to Norway, refugees and asylum seekers need to learn about Norwegian society and social services such as healthcare. Despite various programs and assistance, they face numerous challenges using the healthcare system. Understanding the healthcare experiences of Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers may improve how services such as informational sessions and delivery of medical care are provided. This qualitative study seeks to describe the health-related experiences of Ethiopians who have sought asylum in Norway and shed light on potential barriers to care.MethodsIndividual interviews were conducted with ten Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers in Norway. Thematic analysis was used to understand the broader context of refugee resettlement and how this experience influences participants’ health experiences and health seeking behaviors.ResultsWe identified three main themes that played a role in participants’ health and healthcare experiences. Participants described how ‘living in limbo’ during their application for residency took a mental toll, the difficulties they had ‘using the healthcare system’, and the role ‘interpersonal factors’ had on their experiences. While applying for asylum, participants felt consumed by the process and were affected by the lack of structure in their lives, the conditions in the reception center, and perceived inadequate healthcare. Participants perceived a change in access to services before and after they had been granted residency. Participants learned about the healthcare system both through official information sessions and social networks. Doctor-patient communication and interpersonal factors such as a sense of feeling valued, language, and discrimination had a large impact on perceived quality of care.ConclusionsEthiopian refugees and asylum seekers face numerous challenges accessing, using, and interacting with Norway’s healthcare system. Contextualizing these challenges within the asylum seeking process may help policy makers better understand, and therefore address, these challenges. Interventions offered at reception centers and in health worker trainings may improve healthcare experiences for this and similar populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative study of health experiences of Ethiopian asylum seekers in Norway

Schein

Winje

Myhre

et al. 2019

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…Very little attention has been paid to the definition of unemployment, though it appears that most occupation-focused scholarship equates unemployment to the lack of paid employment (O'Halloran et al, 2018). Both return-to-work and unemployment have primarily been elucidated from an individualistic standpoint, but scholars are increasingly attending to the social expectations and structural conditions that hinder or prohibit people's access to work Berr et al, 2019;Burchett & Matheson, 2010;Holmlund, Hultling, & Asaba, 2018;Jakobsen, 2009;, 2017Lintner & Elsen, 2018), in line with the broader uptake of critical perspectives in occupationfocused scholarship (Farias & Laliberte Rudman, 2016).…”

Section: Historical Conceptualisations Of Work Return-to-work and Umentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging conceptualisations of work: Revisiting contemporary experiences of return to work and unemployment

Asaba

Aldrich

Gabrielsson

et al. 2020

Journal of Occupational Science

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This article draws on empirically derived illustrations of return to work and unemployment to critically explore how a narrow understanding of work pervades contemporary social policies and programmes. This is particularly relevant in economic and labour market transitions aligned with neoliberalism that individualise the social problem of unemployment and thus restrict occupational possibilities related to work. An overview of how work and related concepts have been conceptualised in occupational science scholarship is presented. After describing the theoretical orientation of the paper, three illustrations derived from a secondary analysis of data from projects conducted in Sweden and the United States are presented. The three empirically grounded illustrations are integrated with theory to highlight tensions between the politically informed structures that shape social policies and programmes and the individual experiences of work, unemployment, and return to work that users and providers of these programmes communicate. By asserting that success in work-related placement programmes is not synonymous with meaningful employment, we attempt to heighten awareness of the potential risks associated with a reliance on measuring work by merely being in paid formal employment.

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“…In contrast to the experiences of those older immigrants, asylum seekers in South Tyrol in Italy were most concerned about work opportunities, which they perceived to be the pathway to improved subjective well-being. They described work as overcoming their social and spatial isolation in society, and as bringing peace of mind, identity and a broader sphere of action (Lintner & Elsen, 2018). Similar to previous accounts of refugees and asylum seekers deprived of productive occupation, not having opportunities to occupy themselves resulted in excessive rumination about their past and future, feelings of uselessness and diminished psychological wellbeing (See for example Burchett & Matheson, 2010;Crawford, Turpin, Nayar, Steel, & Durand, 2016).…”

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confidence: 72%