Dataset Information

Faith-Based Coping Among Arabic-Speaking Refugees Seeking Mental Health Services in Berlin, Germany: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

ABSTRACT: Background: The benefits of faith-based coping or using religious and spiritual beliefs as a stabilizing force for interpreting stressful or distressing events are largely unexplored among the exodus of Arabic-speaking refugee populations from Muslim-majority countries, particularly those resettled in Europe. The present study aimed to explore the manifestation of faith-based coping strategies among Arabic-speaking refugee adults seeking mental healthcare services in Berlin, Germany and explore how favorable faith-based coping strategies can be optimized from a mental health service-delivery and broader integration perspective. Methods: A total of 17 qualitative interviews were conducted with Arabic-speaking refugee adults (six females, 11 males) seeking mental health services at the Charité Universitaetsmedizin in Berlin. Research questions aimed to solicit comprehensive perspectives from refugee adults on their mental health, with an emphasis on faith-based coping, and how this facilitated or impeded their integration into German society. Interview transcripts were translated to English from Arabic and analyzed using MAXQDA (2018) to highlight thematic patterns using a grounded theory approach. Results: Findings were structured into four themes, including: (I) faith-based coping methods during flight, (II) changes in faith practices upon arrival, (III) faith-based coping methods to address distress during integration, and (IV) advice for German mental healthcare providers. Participants who demonstrated a stronger commitment to faith were more likely to utilize faith-based coping strategies when seeking mental health services and facing the challenges of displacement and integration. Examples of faith-based coping included prayer, supplication, reciting scripture, and seeking help from a local religious leader. Conclusion: The findings suggest how faith and faith practices play a significant role in the mental health and integration of refugee populations in Germany and provide insight on how mental healthcare can be delivered in a culturally-sensitive manner, providing alternatives to the social, cultural, and linguistic barriers posed by the German health system. These findings are particularly relevant for mental health professionals, non-governmental organizations, and humanitarian aid agencies providing mental healthcare to Arabic-speaking populations recently resettled in Western contexts.

SUBMITTER: Rayes D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7901912 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Faith-Based Coping Among Arabic-Speaking Refugees Seeking Mental Health Services in Berlin, Germany: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

Rayes Diana D Karnouk Carine C Churbaji Dana D Walther Lena L Bajbouj Malek M

Frontiers in psychiatry 20210201

<b>Background:</b> The benefits of faith-based coping or using religious and spiritual beliefs as a stabilizing force for interpreting stressful or distressing events are largely unexplored among the exodus of Arabic-speaking refugee populations from Muslim-majority countries, particularly those resettled in Europe. The present study aimed to explore the manifestation of faith-based coping strategies among Arabic-speaking refugee adults seeking mental healthcare services in Berlin, Germany and e ...[more]

PMID: 33633605

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Project description:INTRODUCTION:In 2015, 4062 unaccompanied minor refugees were registered in Berlin, Germany. According to national policies, basic clinical examination and tuberculosis (TB) screening is a prerequisite to admission to permanent accommodation and schooling for every refugee. This article evaluates the use of an interferon-γ-release-assay (IGRA) during the initial examination and TB screening of 970 unaccompanied minor refugees. RESULTS:IGRA test were obtained during TB screening for 301 (31.0%) of 970 adolescents not previously screened for TB. Positive IGRA results were obtained in 13.9% (42/301). Most of the 42 IGRA-positive refugees originated from Afghanistan or Syria (n?20 and 10 respectively). Two IGRA-positive adolescents were lost to follow-up, 2 were diagnosed with TB and the remaining 38 diagnosed with latent TB infection (LTBI). Demographic features of the 40 patients with positive IGRA result were as follows: 39 male, median age 16.8 years (IQR 16.0-17.2y), none meeting underweight criteria (median BMI 21.3kg/m2). On initial chest X-ray 2/40 participants had signs of active TB, while in 38 active disease was excluded and the diagnosis of latent TB infection (LTBI) made. Active hepatitis B-co-infection was diagnosed in 3/38 patients. All patients with LTBI received Isoniazid and Rifampicin for 3 months without occurrence of severe adverse events. The most frequently observed side effect was transient upper abdominal pain (n = 5). Asymptomatic elevation of liver transaminases was seen in 2 patients. 29 patients completed treatment with no signs of TB disease at the end of chemoprevention and 9 were lost to follow up. CONCLUSION:Screening for TB infection in minor refugees was feasible in our setting with a relatively high rate of TB infection detected. Chemopreventive treatment was tolerated well regardless of underlying hepatitis-B-status. Minor refugees migrating to Germany should be screened for TB infection, instead of TB disease only, regardless of the background TB incidence.

Project description:BackgroundAustralia is an ethnically diverse nation. Research has demonstrated an elevated risk of developing a mental illness in culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities yet uptake of mental health services is low. To improve mental health treatment seeking and outcomes for CaLD individuals in Australia there is an urgent need to deeply understand barriers to treatment such as stigma. Using an exploratory qualitative approach, the aim of the study was to explore how CaLD communities' conceptualise and interpret mental illness and associated beliefs and experiences of stigma.MethodsThe study focused on three key CaLD groups: the Congolese, Arabic-speaking and Mandarin-speaking communities residing in Sydney, Australia. A series of eight focus group discussions (n = 51) and 26 key informant interviews were undertaken online using Zoom during the period of November to December 2021. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analysed using NVivo software.ResultsThree major themes were identified. The first theme related to mental illness terminology used in the three communities. Despite variation in the terms used to refer to 'mental illness' all three communities generally distinguished between 'mental illness', a more severe condition and 'mental health problems', considered to arise due to stressors. The second theme centred on beliefs about mental illness; with all three communities identifying migration-related stressors as contributing to mental illness. Culturally related beliefs were noted for the Congolese participants with the perception of a link between mental illness and supernatural factors, whereas Mandarin-speaking participants highlighted lack of inter and intrapersonal harmony and failure to adhere to values such as filial piety as contributing to mental illness. The final theme related to mental illness related stigma and the various ways it manifested in the three communities including presence of collectivist public stigma felt across all three groups and affiliate (family) stigma reported by the Arabic and Mandarin-speaking groups.ConclusionsWe found rich diversity in how these communities view and respond to mental illness. Our findings provide some possible insights on both service provision and the mental health system with a view to building effective engagement and pathways to care.

Dataset Information

Faith-Based Coping Among Arabic-Speaking Refugees Seeking Mental Health Services in Berlin, Germany: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

Publications

Faith-Based Coping Among Arabic-Speaking Refugees Seeking Mental Health Services in Berlin, Germany: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

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