Promoting mental health in a refugee community using the RHS-15 and Pathways to Wellness
View File(s)
- Author(s)
- Details
-
Rebekah J. Salt, PhD, MN, RN; Margaret E. Constantino; Emma L. Dotson
- Sigma Affiliation
- Delta Alpha at-Large
Visitor Statistics
Visits vs Downloads
Visitors - World Map
Top Visiting Countries
Country | Visits |
---|
Top Visiting Cities
City | Visits |
---|
Visits (last 6 months)
Downloads (last 6 months)
Popular Works for Salt, Rebekah J. by View
Title | Page Views |
---|
Popular Works for Salt, Rebekah J. by Download
Title | Downloads |
---|
View Citations
Citations
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to pilot the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) and the Pathways to Wellness (PW) intervention program with refugees at the Center for Refugee Services (CRS) in San Antonio, Texas. The specific aims were: 1) To compare the pre and post RHS-15 survey and PW intervention scores, and 2) To identify internal and structural barriers affecting resettlement with a refugee woman’s sewing group at the CRS.
Background: Refugees often suffer life-threatening circumstances prior to flight from their countries. During the resettlement process, they face internal and structural barriers that can affect transition to life in the United States. Studies have reported a higher prevalence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this population. The CRS is as an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit agency whose mission is to promote self-sufficiency and successful resettlement for refugees. The organization hosts a sewing group every week for women to create and sell their wares at an on-site market. These income-generating activities (IGA) are often referred to as cottage industries.
Methods: The RHS-15 consists of 15 questions, screens for common mental conditions in refugees, takes about 4 to 12 minutes to complete, and has been translated into eleven languages. Pathways to Wellness is an intervention that incorporates a support group model and consists of eight 90-minute sessions. The program is designed to help refugees recognize symptoms and understand stigma associated with mental health conditions in the United States. All participants were recruited in person from the woman’s sewing group at the CRS. The purpose of the study was framed around greater good as it was important for the women to know that their input could help other refugees.
Results: Twelve women from six different countries regularly attended the PW sessions. Several of the women were proficient in English. Over seventy percent of the participants who took the surveys scored above threshold on the RHS-15 and required referrals. There were no significant differences in pre-post surveys results; however, the stories that emerged during the PW sessions were powerful. The women discussed the challenges of resettlement related to safe housing, cultural and social norms, stigma, and isolation. Finally, the social cohesion observed in the sessions suggests that participation in a cottage industry could be a protective factor against social isolation and depression.
Conclusion: The resettlement process can be difficult for refugees. Good mental health is important for their successful transition into life in the United States. Using culturally sensitive screening tools and interventions may decrease some of the stigma associated with mental health conditions and lead to improved health outcomes for refugees. Community organizations that provide resources such as income-generating opportunities, has the potential to decrease the multiple internal and structural barriers that refugees experience during the resettlement process.
Event Theme: Influencing Global Health Through the Advancement of Nursing Scholarship
Items submitted to a conference/event were evaluated/peer-reviewed at the time of abstract submission to the event. No other peer-review was provided prior to submission to the Henderson Repository.
Type | Poster |
Acquisition | Proxy-submission |
Review Type | Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host |
Format | Text-based Document |
Evidence Level | N/A |
Research Approach | N/A |
Keywords | Cottage Industries; Mental Health; Refugees |
Name | 28th International Nursing Research Congress |
Host | Sigma Theta Tau International |
Location | Dublin, Ireland |
Date | 2017 |
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subjects.
-
Utilizing a community-nurse partnership to promote experiential learning for undergraduate nursing students after Hurricane Harvey
Salt, Rebekah J.; Martinez, Martha L.; Lee, MoonjuParticipants will be able to: 1) discuss the importance of partnerships and community assessment following a natural disaster, and 2) identify strategies to promote community engagement and experiential learning for ... -
Culturally sensitive teaching strategies to improve health for refugees in San Antonio, Texas
Salt, Rebekah J. (2017-08-30)Health promotion that targets barriers to care in refugee communities requires collaborative strategies that focus on cultural sensitivity and community trust. Nursing students implement health education teaching for ... -
Using mixed methods to generate data with women participating in U.S. microenterprise
Salt, Rebekah J.; Lee, Jongwon (2017-09-07)Microenterprise programs provide vulnerable populations, the majority of whom are women, access to educational and financial resources to start small businesses. Many international programs acknowledge the employment-health ... -
Working for yourself: Microenterprise and women's health
Salt, Rebekah J.; Lee, Jongwon (2017-09-07)The purpose of this study was to explore precarious employment and women’s health within the context of microenterprise. The specific aim was to identify the health concerns of low-income women who utilized resources ... -
Preparing nursing students for population health using a community engaged pedagogical approach
Perron, Tracy J.; Jakubowski, Tami L. (2018-06-29)The need for collaborative practices in the community is a necessity. Community Engagement is a signature experience for the students at TCNJ. This opportunity allows students to apply knowledge; enhance skills and address ...