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Extant literature has documented a higher level of mental health issues among refugee populations compared with that of the general population. Mental health problems may significantly decrease refugees’ quality of life and interfere with a successful transition to their country of resettlement. Using the social determinants of mental health framework, we examined factors affecting psychological distress among Karen refugees from Burma residing in a mid-size city in a northeastern state in the United States. A total of 201 participants completed face-to-face interviews conducted in the Karen language. Results showed that trauma and religious participation were positively associated and education and health status were negatively associated with psychological distress. The findings of this study reiterate the importance of trauma and health conditions to mental health and suggest potential points of interventions among the resettled Karen refugees.

Good mental health is essential to successful integration for refugee populations that resettle in the U.S. We explored perceptions of mental illnesses and barriers to mental health service use as well as solutions to current mental health problems from the perspective of refugees. The interviews with a convenience sampling of 11 community leaders (6 men and 5 women) from various Burmese ethnic communities revealed three major categories, including sources of mental illnesses (e.g. traumatic experiences and post-resettlement challenges), barriers to service use (e.g. lack of understanding about mental health, linguistic challenges, cultural stigma, alternative treatments, and unresponsive system), and proposed community solutions (e.g. community education, culturally-competent providers, and beyond mental health treatment). The findings suggest that the ethnic community can be a source of potential solutions to mitigate barriers to mental health service use.

War-related traumas impact refugees’ mental health. Recent literature suggests that structural and sociocultural factors related to the resettlement also become critical in shaping refugees’ mental health. So far, there is limited empirical evidence to support this claim among resettled refugees. Resettlement contextual factors that influence mental health outcomes were examined using Latino and Asian refugees (n = 656) from a nationally representative survey. Linear and logistic regressions predicted factors associated with the study’s outcomes (self-reported mental health, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders). Post-resettlement traumas were significantly associated with mental health outcomes, but preresettlement traumas were not. Unemployment, everyday discrimination, and limited English were significantly associated with mental health outcomes among both Latino and Asian refugees. The outcomes indicate that resettlement contextual factors have a significant association with refugees’ mental health. Therefore, future studies with refugees must pay closer attention to structural and sociocultural factors after resettlement.

Refugee populations have unequal access to primary care and may not receive appropriate health screening or preventive service recommendations. They encounter numerous health care disadvantages as a consequence of low-income status, race and ethnicity, lower educational achievement, varying degrees of health literacy, and limited English proficiency. Refugees may not initially embrace the concept of preventive care, as these services may have been unavailable in their countries of origin, or may not be congruent with their beliefs on health care. Effective interventions in primary care include the appropriate use of culturally and linguistically trained interpreters for health care visits and use of evidence-based guidelines. Effective approaches for the delivery of preventive health and wellness services require community engagement and collaborations between public health and primary care. In order to provide optimal preventive and longitudinal screening services for refugees, policies and practice should be guided by unimpeded access to robust primary care systems. These systems should implement evidence-based guidelines, comprehensive health coverage, and evaluation of process and preventive care outcomes.

Numerous studies describe mental health effects of pre-migration trauma and post-resettlement stress among refugees, yet less research examines these associations with non-refugee immigrants. Additionally, few studies assess the prevalence and impact of traumatic experiences after settlement in a new country. Using a U.S.-based representative sample of Asian (n = 1637) and Latino (n = 1620) refugees and immigrants, we investigated how traumatic events prior to and after migration, and post-migration stressors, are associated with mental illness and distress. Pre-migration trauma posed risk across a broad range of psychological outcomes for Asian refugees and Latino immigrants. Deleterious effects of post-migration trauma were notable for both groups of refugees and immigrants. Discrimination, acculturative stress, and family conflict increased risk for disorder and distress across groups in complex ways. Findings highlight the importance of examining trauma and stress at pre-and post-migration phases across migrant populations, including those not labeled as refugees.

This study aims to explore the dynamic effects of organizations' cultural values and workers' cultural competence on the provision of language services for families in the child welfare system who are immigrants and refugees. Findings reveal that organizational values and workers' cultural awareness and participation in communities of immigrants/ refugees are significant factors that enhance their provision of language services. Specifically, organizational values are more beneficial for enhancing the among workers with lower levels of provision of language services cultural knowledge.

Literature concur that there is a disparity between epidemiological prevalence and mental health services (MHS) utilization rates for Latino and Asian Americans. This study adapted the behavioral model of health service use to examine factors associated with MHS use among Latino and Asian Americans. The model consists of predisposing, enabling, and need factors. This study used the National Latino and Asian American Study data, including six ethnic groups. The outcome measure for this study was the use of MHS in the past 12 months. Age, sex, and education predicted higher odds of MHS use among Latinos, none of which were significant among Asians. Needs factors were strongly associated with higher odds of MHS use among Latinos and Asians.

Vietnamese Americans are a heterogeneous group with varied migration histories. The life course perspective (LCP) suggests that different migration histories (immigrant vs. refugee) may affect their psychological health. Using Vietnamese refugee (n = 291) and immigrant (n = 211) subsamples from the National Latino and Asian American Study, selected LCP factors relevant to foreign-born Vietnamese were examined for their associations with psychological distress. Two separate regressions were conducted to examine differential factors across the subgroups. Results showed that sex, age at immigration, and pre- and post-migration traumas were significant factors for refugees. Among immigrants, only racial discrimination was significant factor. The results suggest that applying LCP among Vietnamese Americans helps to discern factors associated with their psychological distress outcomes depending on their initial immigration status. The results also indicate that healthcare professionals should consider the migration background of foreign-born Vietnamese in screening for potential psychological issues, particularly around their trauma history and discriminatory experiences.

Previous studies of healthcare service use among Asian immigrant elders have been conducted in major metropolitan areas with established ethnic enclaves. The factors that affect levels of utilization by Asian immigrant elders who live in places where systematic support from an ethnic community is not readily available are unknown. This study employed the Andersen–Newman healthcare service utilization model to examine unique correlates of healthcare service use among Chinese and Korean immigrant elders. Between 2005 and 2007, we used a snowball sampling method to collect data from Chinese (n = 116) and Korean (n = 101) immigrant elders living in Arizona. We then performed two negative binomial regressions based on ethnic background to identify factors associated with the number of annual physician visits. The results indicated that the number of medical conditions they experienced was positively associated with an increased likelihood of healthcare service utilization for both subgroups. However, the results indicated that each ethnic group had distinctive predisposing (sex and length of US stay for Chinese; marital status for Korean), enabling (English proficiency and cultural gap; insurance status), and need factors (depressive symptoms; self-reported health status) for predicting healthcare service utilization. Asian immigrant elders in this study experienced unique barriers and facilitators based on their ethnic backgrounds. Communicating with these two different groups in their native languages and better understanding their cultural backgrounds are imperative to understanding the factors related to their healthcare service utilization. Thus, rather than viewing Asians as a homogeneous population, the differences found in heterogeneous ethnic groups, such as language and cultural variations, should be taken into account when planning and implementing approaches to intervention.

INTRODUCTION: Graphical representations of a case study can help learners recognize how systems and institutions impact health. The impact of the social determinants of health (SDoH) on individual and community health is well established, yet it may be challenging for students to visualize the impact of these components within a case study. PURPOSE: This study explored the use of ecomaps in an interprofessional forum and examined the perceptions from students and faculty regarding use of this educational tool. METHODS: This tool was assessed over two semesters, Fall 2021 (n =968) and Fall 2022 (n = 835) to evaluate student and faculty perceptions of the use of the tool along with faculty's assessment of student completion of the tool within a rubric. RESULTS: Nearly all students (99%) came prepared to the forum and presented their ecomaps to others during the small group discussion to facilitate conversation as they explored the role of SDoH related to the case study. Both students and faculty rated the use of this tool favorably. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, ecomaps were viewed favorably by both students and faculty. This visual exploration of SDoH helps students to visualize both positive and negative factors that impact a patient's experience.