Improving Immigrant Populations’ Access to Mental Health Services in Canada: A Review of Barriers and Recommendations

Thomson, Mary S.; Chaze, Ferzana; George, Usha; Guruge, Sepali

doi:10.1007/s10903-015-0175-3

Cited by 176 publications

(211 citation statements)

References 138 publications

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“…The findings of this systematic review are consistent with global literature on immigrant women's impediments to utilising mental healthcare facilities [10,32]. The lived experiences of CALD women and accounts of their contact with mental health services provide a gendered perspective which could inform policy and practice.…”

Section: Discussion and Implications For Policiessupporting

confidence: 78%

Barriers Accessing Mental Health Services Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Immigrant Women in Australia: Policy Implications

Wohler

Dantas

2016

J Immigrant Minority Health

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Immigrant and refugee women from diverse ethnic backgrounds encounter multiple barriers in accessing mental healthcare in various settings. A systematic review on the prevalence of mental health disorders among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women in Australia documented the following barriers: logistical, language and communication, dissonance between participants and care providers and preference for alternative interventions. This article proposes recommendations for policies to better address the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee women. Key policy recommendations include: support for gender specific research, implementation and evaluation of transcultural policies, cultural responsiveness in service delivery, review of immigration and refugee claims policies and social integration of immigrants.

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Section: Discussion and Implications For Policiessupporting

confidence: 78%

Barriers Accessing Mental Health Services Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Immigrant Women in Australia: Policy Implications

Wohler

Dantas

2016

J Immigrant Minority Health

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“…Lack of cultural awareness of the needs of CALD patients exacerbate immigrants' mental health (Thomson et al . ) as cultural awareness is important for best practice (Priebe et al . ; Prosen ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has also focused on areas of improvement and made recommendations that can influence patient safety outcomes of CALD inpatients (Thomson et al . ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Service gaps related to culturally appropriate mental health care for African immigrants

Wamwayi

Cope

Murray

2019

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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The population of overseas‐born Australians continues to grow including the recent increase of immigrants and refugees from African countries. Due to this increase, healthcare services need to assess if current available services are culturally appropriate for African immigrant inpatients. This qualitative study, with a quality improvement focus, examined current services to identify key service gaps and consider recommendation to improve care of African immigrant mental health inpatients in the hospital from the point of view of staff working within the organisation. What was revealed is that services currently offered to African mental health inpatients were culturally inappropriate. Emerging themes included inadequate interpreter services, lack of cultural awareness staff training, lack of organisation link with other services, unmet spiritual needs, use of staff/families as interpreters, culturally inappropriate information, and lack of or inadequate culturally appropriate policies and framework. Changes to current practices are recommended to provide culturally appropriate mental health care to African inpatients.

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“…More than one-third of Canadians will experience a mental illness over the course of a lifetime (Statistics Canada, 2013a), and may not receive mental health services due to the stigma associated with mental illness (Pietrus, 2013;Thomson, Chaze, George, & Guruge, 2015). Although stigma cuts across all backgrounds, it is more pervasive in some communities due to cultural and religious attitudes, and beliefs, about the causes, consequences, and treatment of mental illness (Abdullah & Brown, 2011;Hansson, Tuck, Lurie, & McKenzie, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowing so much, yet knowing so little: a scoping review of interventions that address the stigma of mental illness in the Canadian context

Guruge

Wang

Jayasuriya-Illesinghe

et al. 2016

Psychology, Health & Medicine

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Stigma can have detrimental effects on the health and wellbeing of individuals living with a mental illness. This scoping review describes the nature, range, and extent of intervention research aimed at reducing public and self-stigma of mental illness in the Canadian context. The review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework. A search of databases and relevant websites identified 35 primary studies. Most studies used quantitative research methods and included predominantly youth or middle-aged adults, women, and white Canadian-born people. Guided by different conceptualizations of stigma, direct or indirect contact, education, and advocacy-focused interventions, aimed to provide information, and/or develop skills to address self and public stigma. Most studies evaluated interventions' effectiveness short-term. Of the few studies that followed-up participants long-term, some were able to reduce stigmatizing attitudes post-intervention, however, these targeted only specific groups such as students or health care professionals. Lack of diversity among the samples, and limited evidence of long-term effectiveness of interventions, were some of the studies' limitations. What is currently known about interventions aimed at reducing the stigma of mental illness in the Canadian context is not informed by research among vulnerable groups, such as people living with a mental illness, older adults, immigrants, and people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Interventions that are informed by clear conceptualizations of stigma and rigorously evaluated in a range of ethno-cultural groups would create a knowledge base that is useful for policy-makers, community leaders, and agencies serving various ethnic communities in Canada.

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Improving Immigrant Populations’ Access to Mental Health Services in Canada: A Review of Barriers and Recommendations

Cited by 176 publications

References 138 publications

Barriers Accessing Mental Health Services Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Immigrant Women in Australia: Policy Implications

Barriers Accessing Mental Health Services Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Immigrant Women in Australia: Policy Implications

Service gaps related to culturally appropriate mental health care for African immigrants

Knowing so much, yet knowing so little: a scoping review of interventions that address the stigma of mental illness in the Canadian context

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