Refugees are a vulnerable and marginalized population who have high rates of emotional distress that are often unidentified and untreated by the current mental health system. In 2013, nearly 2,500 refugees displaced from their home countries by persecution and armed conflict were resettled in North Carolina. Using the standardized Refugee Health Screener-15 as a mental health assessment tool, two research questions were studied: (1) What percentage of refugees resettled by Church World Service in Durham and Orange Counties in North Carolina show clinically significant levels of mental health distress? and (2) To what degree does level of mental health distress among refugees vary by length of time since resettlement? Screenings were completed …show more content…
refugee program began in 1975 to accommodate refugees from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon (National Child Traumatic Stress Network [NCTSN], 2005). At the end of 2012, 45.2 million people around the world were displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, and violence (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2013). In fiscal year 2013, almost 70,000 (69,926) refugees arrived in the United States; 2,419 of them were resettled in North Carolina (UNHCR, 2013). A refugee is a person who has left his or her native country and cannot or will not return due to war, violence, or persecution (United Nations, 1951). The refugee must have a rational fear of persecution for membership in a specific social group, nationality, political opinion, race or religion. In 2012, the primary reasons for refugees fleeing their home country were ethnic and tribal conflict, religious persecution, and war violence (UNHRC, …show more content…
As such, it is relevant to review previous methods of needs assessments utilized with refugee populations. In many states, mental health screenings are not formally conducted during the resettlement process. In North Carolina, providers and resettlement agencies have been reluctant to administer mental health screenings because there are few - if any - mental health services available to refugees if a need were to be identified. Time constraints, costs, lack of available interpreters, and an inability to follow-up with newly arrived individuals also contribute to the scarcity of available screenings (Pathways to Wellness, 2011). A number of mental health screening tools have been developed to assess the magnitude of this gap in services for refugees but none have proved comprehensive yet brief enough to ascertain the immediate mental health needs of refugees (The New Mexico Refugee Symptoms Checklist-121; The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25; The Posttraumatic Symptom Scale-Self Report). Most recently, however, the Pathways to Wellness Project (2011) developed the Refugee Health Screener – 15 (RHS-15) for refugee resettlement agencies and has conducted multiple studies to ensure its reliability and validity. Due to the brevity, cost-effectiveness, and reliability of this measure, the
Many refugees got so desperate that they purposely sunk there boats offshore so that they could not be turned away or put back out to see (Vietnamese Boat People). Nevertheless countries like Malaysia and Thailand took in refugees and had fully functioning refugee camps set up (Vietnamese Boat People). For some they settled in these countries permanently and other sought and found asylum in Europe, the U.S., or Australia (Vietnamese Boat People).
Refugee is someone who fled his/her country because of conflict or for fear of been prosecuted for reason of race, nationality, religion, sexuality, and political opinion (UNHCR, 1 February, 2002). An asylum seeker is someone who fled his/her country of origin and applies for recognition as a refugee in another country, and
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugee is a term applied to anyone who is outside his/her own country and cannot return due to the fear of being persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership of a group or political opinion. Many “refugees” that the media and the general public refer to today are known as internally displaced persons, which are people forced to flee their homes to avoid things such as armed conflict, generalized violations of human rights or natural and non-natural disasters. These two groups are distinctly different but fall ...
These issues also include poverty and limited or no access to education, training, mental health and health care resources. Refugees also face persecution and are unable to return to their home in their native country (Villalba, 2009). Mental health counselors need to understand the impact of trauma on their refugee clientele, as they may include physical torture and mental abuse in nature. According to Sue and Sue (2013) counselors will need to address the most salient concerns of refugees, which include safety and loss. The possibility of being, or having been, mentally abused and physically tortured has an impact on their ability to stay in the hosting country. Counselors will be dealing with post-traumatic stress from their client. Equally important is for the counselor to assist the refugee in understanding issues of confidentiality. For Muslim immigrants and refugees, counselors should consider national policies during the counseling process. For example, the two Sudanese sisters’ were able to resolve their religious practice of wearing the hijab and securing employment in a beneficial way. As an advocate for the sisters and other Muslim refugees, it would be helpful to provide them access to resources that educate them in antidiscrimination policies that can protect them against hate crimes and legal resources that can help them seek asylum. In essence, culturally competent practices for counselors working with immigrants and refugees begin with understanding their worldviews, as well the national and international legal issues that confront their
War is the main cause in the creation of child refugee. It is also known that war is the primary cause of child injuries, death and loss of family members. Being born abroad in unknown places, also play a role in depriving children of a legal home. The trauma of being a refugee child can cause detrimental changes in the mental health of a child and over all development. This article focuses on the impact of the Syrian armed conflict on the mental health and psychosocial condition of Syrian refugees’ children. Also, this article explores the struggles of several refugees’ families and their children. It was determined that mental health services can be key to restoring basic psychological functioning to support resilience and positive coping
The social problem we have chosen to address is the mental health status of refugees. Refugees are exposed to a significant amount of trauma due to fear, war, persecution, torture, and relocating. The mental health illnesses that can affect refugees due to exposure to traumas include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Research indicated that refugees relocating from war-torn countries are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns because many have experienced early traumas and face further post-traumas after relocation (Cummings, et al., 2011). However, despite the prevalence of mental health issues concerning refugees, mental health needs often go unrecognized and untreated.
Migrating from one country to another may happen for many reasons. Immigration is the process that occurs when an individual goes to live permanently in a foreign country (Oxford Dictionary, 2016). However, there are different types of migration that occur, and it is vital to distinguish the differences between an immigrant and a refugee for the purpose of understanding the two terms. Other titles such as asylum seeker is applicable here, however this study will not be looking at asylum seekers. Legally, an Asylum seeker is recognised in the UK as an individual who has applied for refugee status in the UK and is still waiting for a decision on his or her claim, once an individual has received a positive decision on his or her claim they own
Rothe, Eugenio M. "A Psychotherapy Model For Treating Refugee Children Caught In The Midst Of Catastrophic Situations." Journal Of The American Academy Of Psychoanalysis & Dynamic Psychiatry 36.4 (2008): 625-642. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 May 2014.
Refugees by definition are victims of human rights violations. According to the 1951 Refugee Convention the term ‘refugee’ applies to “any persons who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is
Since coming back to Iran from Austria, Marjane’s refugee experience continues to influence her through depression. Ehntholt & Yule explain how “Refugee children and adolescents who have experienced war also report high levels of depression and anxiety” (1198). Depression is typically the feeling of inadequacy and guilt often followed by lack of energy. This is shown in children and adolescents refugees as they are in their home country, they are forced to leave because of war. At times the children and adolescents may go to another country alone with no family waiting for them or seeing their family killed or be hit by atrocities of torture. Without supervision refugee kids and adolescents can lead them to depression than to the point of self-harm or worse case suicide. Ironically Marjane’s refugee experience also puts her into depression than to self-harm as she says, “I
Refugees are people who have left their own countries or nationality because they feel threat to their lives in their own country on the basis of cast, religion, culture. They experience and witness traumatic events such as wars and conflicts. There has been significant increase in the number of refugees from Afghanistan in Australia with evidences showing mental illness among them is quite high (Maroney, Potter, & Thacore, 2014). There is a lack of literature on the subject of rehabilitation of Afghan clients in the Australian context. Set of data was collected when Refugees health status was checked. Out of 186 refugees 60% were found to be female. The most common diagnosis confirmed by testing were vitamin D deficiency (23%), hepatitis
Today, most Americans would consider themselves pretty open minded. This country was built on the hard work of immigrants, and therefore should empathize with the plight of refugees. However, this is not the case. America seems to fear the influx of immigrants and refugees. Perhaps even more controversial, is that government workers seem to share that mindset. In my opinion, while the UNHCR does provide some help, they are not doing enough.
In today’s society refugee resettlement is increasing due to the violence over seas. This transition is a scary yet necessary change for the families in danger. In America we have the resources and freedom that the refugees need to have a better life; however, the negative response to their presence in a new country is harming the families as well. John G. Orme’s article, “Measuring Parental Knowledge of Normative Child Development,” Maurice Eisenbruch’s “The Mental Health of Refugee Children and Their Cultural Development” and Earl E. Huyck’s “Impact of Resettlement on Refugee Children” support my argument regarding the effects of resettlement and their correlation with the negative events which tend to follow refugees, while Warren St. John’s novel, “Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make A Difference,” provides anecdotal evidence to support my claim that the culture shock, stresses of finding a job, and pressure to learn english is overwhelming enough, not to mention discrimination, and moving to an unfamiliar place. Meaning, that the violence and poverty that follows refugees, especially young refugees, is due to the
A refugee is defined as an individual who has been forced to leave their country due to political or religious reasons, or due to threat of war or violence. There were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014, 14.4 million under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 2.9 million more than in 2013. The other 5.1 million Palestinian refugees are registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). With the displacement of so many people, it is difficult to find countries willing to accept all the refugees. There are over 125 different countries that currently host refugees, and with this commitment comes the responsibility of ensuring these refugees have access to the basic requirements of life; a place to live, food to eat, and a form of employment or access to education. Currently, the largest cause of refugees is the Syrian civil war, which has displaced over 2.1 million people. As a country of relative wealth, the United States should be able to provide refuge for many refugees, as well as provide monetary support to the refugees that they are not able to receive.
Picture this: Think about a country where you are born and raised entire life. As part of daily lives, we have to work to feed ourselves as well in order to sustain our daily lives. Likewise, your are life is going pretty well.One day, after your finished work, you came home to eat dinner, take a shower, and then you slept. As tomorrow sun rises, Unfortunately, you heard noises of people shouting and banging at home by saying ”open your door, you have to move another country you can stay anymore here” At this moment, What you do? Where would you go? Emotionally In late 1990, my parent leave Bhutan and then make way to Nepal. Then they start leaving in Bhutanese refugee camp, where I was born. Despite so much negative rhetoric going on the world about “refugee”, I am one of thousands refugee put that perspective on a side. My own experiences had taught me to be hopeful regardless how desperate thing became.