Dataset Information

Acculturation and mental health among adult forced migrants: a meta-narrative systematic review protocol.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The global refugee crisis has become central to health and policy debates. There is a growing need to investigate how acculturation impacts mental health among asylum seekers and refugees. Many forced migrants have an increased risk of experiencing negative mental health outcomes, but this review will only assess the current literature on acculturation and mental health among adults. Research questions include the following: (1) How is acculturation conceptualised? (2) What are the most salient mental health outcomes? (3) How are acculturation and mental health measured and related? and (4) How do macrostructural factors affect the relationship between mental health and acculturation?

Methods

We will use a meta-narrative approach to synthesise the breadth of acculturation and mental health literature from various research traditions. This review will include empirical studies measuring variations of acculturation and mental health among adult forced migrants from low- and middle-income countries residing in high-income countries. Studies will be retrieved from the following academic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Global Health, ProQuest Social Science and Web of Science. Additional studies will be collected from King's College London's online library databases and e-resources, and reference lists of eligible studies. Studies from database inception and written in English will be included. All full-text papers will undergo quality appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Extracted data will be analysed using a conceptual framework analysis to construct overarching narratives and a framework that will describe the relationship between acculturation and mental health.

Discussion

A meta-narrative systematic review provides a flexible and systematic approach to synthesising the heterogeneous literature on acculturation and mental health. This review will guide the development of a conceptual framework to aid future research on acculturation among adult forced migrants. As high-income countries seek to integrate forced migrants into society and improve their access to vital resources, this review has the potential to transform policies and practices that influence migrant mental health.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42018089148.

SUBMITTER: Mengistu BS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6657160 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Acculturation and mental health among adult forced migrants: a meta-narrative systematic review protocol.

Mengistu Brittney S BS Manolova Gergana G

Systematic reviews 20190725 1

<h4>Background</h4>The global refugee crisis has become central to health and policy debates. There is a growing need to investigate how acculturation impacts mental health among asylum seekers and refugees. Many forced migrants have an increased risk of experiencing negative mental health outcomes, but this review will only assess the current literature on acculturation and mental health among adults. Research questions include the following: (1) How is acculturation conceptualised? (2) What ar ...[more]

PMID: 31345260

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Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding the epidemiology of substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health disorders (MHDs) among forced migrants from the Middle East and North Africa and Türkiye (MENAT) region is of utmost importance given their distinct challenges and vulnerabilities. Existing research on the topic is substantial; however, comprehensive systematic reviews are limited. We aim to conduct a systematic literature review to bridge this gap, providing a thorough understanding of SUDs and MHDs epidemiology among this population.MethodsThe systematic review will include original, peer-reviewed research articles published in English or Arabic between 2013 and 2023. It will encompass qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies focusing on SUDs and/or MHDs among forced migrants from the MENAT region. A Medline (via Ovid) search strategy was developed and will be translated into databases of EMBASE (via Ovid), Web of Science Core Collection (as licensed at Yale), and CINAHL. Risk of Bias in the included studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist for observational studies and the Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) 2 tool for intervention studies. Meta-analysis using random-effects models will be conducted and subgroup analyses based on studies' data will be performed. The systematic review will be conducted based on the framework introduced by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Additionally, the PRISMA-P extension for systematic reviews was used to report the present protocol. The present systematic review protocol has been registered with PROSPERO, an international prospective register of systematic reviews. The review's registration ID is CRD42021286882.DiscussionThe systematic review aims to explore, identify and synthesize the evidence to reveal the epidemiology of SU and/or MH of forced migrants of the MENAT region as described in this protocol. In sum, the review will provide evidence to fill the gap in the literature and help the stakeholders, policymakers, and health providers to expand current knowledge of the prevalence and risk factors of SU and/or MH in humanitarian settings.

Project description:INTRODUCTION:The effects of interventions targeting weight loss on physical health are well described, yet the evidence for mental health is less clear. It is essential to better understand the impact of weight management interventions on mental health to optimise care and minimise risk of harm. We will assess the effect of behavioural weight management interventions on mental health in adults with overweight and obesity. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:The systematic review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidance. We will include behavioural weight management interventions with a diet and/or physical activity component focusing on weight loss for adults with a body mass index ?25?kg/m2. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster RCTs will be the only eligible study designs. Outcomes of interest will be related to mental health. The following databases were searched from inception to 07 May 2019: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane database (CENTRAL), PsycINFO, ASSIA, AMED and CINAHL. The search strategy was based on four concepts: (1) adults, defined as ?18 years, with overweight/obesity, defined as BMI ?25kg/m², (2) weight management interventions, (3) mental health outcomes and (4) study design. The search was restricted to English-language published papers, with no other restrictions applied. Two stage screening for eligibility will be completed by two independent reviewers, with two independent reviewers completing data extraction and risk of bias assessment. Data permitting, a random-effects meta-analysis of outcomes, subgroup analyses and meta-regression will be conducted. If not appropriate, narrative synthesis and 'levels of evidence' assessment will be completed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethical approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. The completed systematic review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal, at conferences and contribute towards the lead author's PhD thesis. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER:CRD42019131659.

Project description:PurposeMental health challenges are highly prevalent in African migrants. However, understanding of mental health outcomes in first-generation voluntary African migrants is limited, despite the unique challenges faced by this migrant subgroup. This review aimed to synthesize the literature to understand the mental health challenges, help-seeking behavior, and the relationship between mental health and mental health help-seeking behavior in first-generation voluntary African migrants living outside Africa.MethodsMedline Complete, EMBASE, CINAHL Complete, and APA PsychINFO were searched for studies published between January 2012 to December 2023. Retrieved articles were processed, data from selected articles were extracted and synthesized to address the study aims, and included studies were evaluated for risk of bias.ResultsEight studies were included, including four quantitative and four qualitative studies, which focused on women with postnatal depression. Mental health challenges reported in the quantitative studies were depression, interpersonal disorders, and work-related stress. Risk (e.g., neglect from health professionals and lack of social/spousal support) and protective (e.g., sensitivity of community services and faith) factors associated with mental health were identified. Barriers (e.g., cultural beliefs about mental health and racial discrimination) and facilitators (sensitizing African women about mental health) of mental health help-seeking behavior were also identified. No significant relationship was reported between mental health and mental health help-seeking behavior, and the risk of bias results indicated some methodological flaws in the studies.ConclusionThis review shows the dearth of research focusing on mental health and help-seeking behavior in this subgroup of African migrants. The findings highlight the importance of African migrants, especially mothers with newborns, examining cultural beliefs that may impact their mental health and willingness to seek help. Receiving countries should also strive to understand the needs of first-generation voluntary African migrants living abroad and offer mental health support that is patient-centered and culturally sensitive.

Project description:IntroductionForced migration is occurring at unprecedented levels. Forced migrants may be at risk for substance use for reasons including coping with traumatic experiences, co-morbid mental health disorders, acculturation challenges and social and economic inequality. This paper aimed to systematically review the literature examining substance use among forced migrants, and identify priority areas for intervention and future research.MethodsSeven medical, allied health and social science databases were searched from inception to September 2015 in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to identify original peer-reviewed articles describing any findings relating to alcohol and/or illicit drug use among refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), asylum seekers, people displaced by disasters and deportees. A descriptive synthesis of evidence from quantitative studies was conducted, focusing primarily on studies which used validated measures of substance use. Synthesis of evidence from qualitative studies focused on identifying prominent themes relating to the contexts and consequences of substance use. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists were used to assess methodological quality of included studies.ResultsForty-four quantitative (82% cross-sectional), 16 qualitative and three mixed-methods studies were included. Ten studies were rated as high methodological quality (16%), 39 as moderate quality (62%) and 14 as low quality (22%). The majority of research was conducted among refugees, IDPs and asylum seekers (n = 55, 87%), predominantly in high-income settings. The highest-quality prevalence estimates of hazardous/harmful alcohol use ranged from 17%-36% in camp settings and 4%-7% in community settings. Few studies collected validated measures of illicit drug use. Seven studies compared substance use among forced migrants to other migrant or native-born samples. Among eight studies which conducted multivariable analysis, male sex, trauma exposure and symptoms of mental illness were commonly identified correlates of substance use.ConclusionOur understanding of substance use among forced migrants remains limited, particularly regarding persons displaced due to disasters, development and deportation. Despite a growing body of work among refugee-background populations, few studies include refugees in low and middle-income countries, where over 80% of the global refugee population resides. Findings suggest a need to integrate substance use prevention and treatment into services offered to forced migrants, particularly in camp settings. Efforts to develop and evaluate interventions to reduce substance use and related harms are needed.

Dataset Information

Acculturation and mental health among adult forced migrants: a meta-narrative systematic review protocol.

Background

Methods

Discussion

Systematic review registration

Publications

Acculturation and mental health among adult forced migrants: a meta-narrative systematic review protocol.

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