| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Arwidson, Charlotta, et al.
(författare)
-
(Over)crowded house : exploring asylum seekers' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic while living at accommodation centers in Sweden
- 2024
-
Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2458. ; 24:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has made visible the scale of health disparities in society, highlighting how the distribution of infection and deaths differs between population subgroups within countries. Asylum seekers represent a potentially vulnerable group; early in the pandemic, concerns were raised about their housing situation, usually involving overcrowded, camp-like accommodations, and the effects of COVID-19 in relation to this. Hence, this study aimed to explore asylum seekers' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic while living at accommodation centers.MethodsIn this qualitative study, 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with asylum seekers at two accommodation centers in Sweden. Participants represented a diverse group of asylum seekers in regard to age, educational background, and gender. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsExperiences related to COVID-19 were highly dependent on the living situation at the accommodation centers and the experience of feeling unsafe in shared spaces. This was enhanced by the experiences of a challenging mix of COVID-19 messages where different understandings of COVID-19 and related measures existed, together with a feeling of loss of control and safety in shared rooms. Additionally, participants felt more isolated from the outside society and missed prior social activities. Adding to this experience of isolation was an increasing mistrust regarding the authorities' pandemic response.ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of understanding the specific challenges and vulnerabilities of asylum seekers at accommodation centers during the pandemic, shaped by their housing situation and legal status. The findings underscore the need for context-specific support, holistic disease prevention approaches, and tailored health communication strategies using diverse formats. Additionally, the findings emphasize the crucial need to identify and mobilize existing community resources in planning and implementing pandemic control measures. Furthermore, the study emphasizes governmental responsibility in providing secure housing, and to address long-term vulnerabilities beyond pandemics.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Gottvall, Maria, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
Health-related quality of life among Syrian refugees resettled in Sweden
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Quality of Life Research. - : Springer. - 0962-9343 .- 1573-2649. ; 29:2, s. 505-514
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose The main purpose of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Syrian refugees resettled in Sweden. Further, we wanted to investigate whether sex, age, education, area of residence, cohabitation and social support were associated with HRQoL in this population. Methods This is a cross-sectional study including 1215 Syrian refugees from a randomly selected sample frame resettled in Sweden between the years 2011 and 2013. HRQoL was measured by the EQ-5D-5L descriptive system, and EQ-5D-5L index values were calculated. Associations between sex, age, education, area of residence, cohabitation, social support and EQ-5D-5L were investigated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results Depression/anxiety was the most commonly (61.9%) reported EQ-5D-5L problem among the group of Syrian refugees. The mean EQ-5D-5L index value was found to be 0.754. Male sex, younger age, cohabitation and social support were found associated with a higher EQ-5D-5L index score. Conclusions Our results concerning long-lasting health problems among the study population indicate that there is a profound need for policies and interventions promoting refugees' health. Our results also show that social support, a modifiable factor, is relevant to refugees' overall health, pointing to the importance of public health interventions and policies targeting the facilitation, mobilization and enhancing of refugees' social support.
|
|
| 5. |
- Tinghög, Petter, et al.
(författare)
-
Nyanlända och asylsökande i Sverige : En studie av psykisk ohälsa, trauma och levnadsvillkor
- 2016
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Människor som flyr från krig och konflikt har ofta varit med om omskakande händelser som kan leda till långvariga problem och ohälsa. Det finns lite kunskap om hur sådana erfarenheter påverkar en människa. För att öka kunskapen genomfördes under perioden maj 2015 till oktober 2016, en forskningsstudie vid Röda Korsets Högskola. Studien hade som syfte att uppskatta förekomsten av psykisk ohälsa bland nyanlända från Syrien och asylsökande från Eritrea, Syrien och Somalia samt att kartlägga förekomsten av erfarenheter av traumatiska händelser, post-migratorisk stress och svagt socialt stöd.Data har samlats in via två enkäter samt register i två kompletterande studiepopulationer. Den första studiepopulationen bestod av 1215 nyanlända från Syrien med permanent uppehållstillstånd som blivit kommunmottagna mellan åren 2011 och 2013. Den andra studiepopulationen bestod av 173 asylsökande från Syrien, Eritrea och Somalia som bodde på ett asylboende i västra Sverige.Resultaten från studien visar bland annat att den psykiska ohälsan i Sverige 2016 är mycket utbredd bland nyanlända från Syrien och bland asylsökande från Eritrea, Somalia och Syrien. Bland nyanlända från Syrien har var tredje en högst påtaglig depressions- eller ångestproblematik, detta samtidigt som 30 % uppger symtom som stämmer överens med posttraumatiskt stressyndrom (PTSD). Studien indikerar dessutom att psykisk ohälsa i form av depression, ångest, PTSD och lågt välbefinnande är betydligt vanligare bland asylsökande än bland nyanlända, särskilt bland asylsökande från Eritrea och Somalia.
|
|
| 6. |
- Tinghög, Petter, et al.
(författare)
-
Prevalence of mental ill health, traumas and postmigration stress among refugees from Syria resettled in Sweden after 2011 : a population-based survey
- 2017
-
Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 7:12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of and associations between anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low subjective well-being (SWB), potential traumas and postmigration stress among refugees from Syria resettled in Sweden.DESIGN: A cross-sectional and population-based questionnaire study based on a known and complete sample frame. The survey included multiple measures of mental ill health and factors of particular relevance for refugees. Weighted analyses were conducted to calculate representative prevalence rates and associations. Associations were investigated through a series of logistic regression analyses. All analyses were supplemented with robust 95% CIs.SETTING: Sweden.PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 1215 individuals (response rate 30.4%) from Syria aged 18-64 years that were granted residency in Sweden on grounds of asylum between 2011 and 2013.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anxiety, depression, PTSD and low SWB were assessed through Hopkins Symptom Checklist, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and WHO-5 Well-being Index, using established cut-offs.RESULTS: A majority of the participants met the criteria for at least one of the studied types of mental ill health, and the comorbidity was high. Depression was the most the common type with 40.2% (95% CI 36.9% to 43.3%), followed by low SWB with 37.7% (95% CI 34.8% to 40.1%), anxiety with 31.8% (95% CI 29.2% to 34.7%) and PTSD with 29.9% (95% CI 27.2% to 32.6%). Refugee-related potentially traumatic events (PTEs) experienced before or during migration was common as was substantial levels of postmigration stress. Most types of refugee-related PTEs, especially being exposed to interpersonal violence, and postmigration stress were associated with increased risks for anxiety, depression, low SWB and PTSD.CONCLUSIONS: Mental ill health, in terms of anxiety, depression, low SWB and PTSD, are highly elevated and comorbid among refugees from Syria. Increased attention from multiple societal sectors to adequately support Syrian refugees' mental health needs, promoting recovery and reducing postmigration stress are needed.
|
|
| 7. |
- van Eggermont Arwidson, Charlotta, et al.
(författare)
-
Living a frozen life : a qualitative study on asylum seekers’ experiences and care practices at accommodation centers in Sweden
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Conflict and Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1752-1505. ; 16:1, s. 1-14
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundForced migrants fleeing conflict and violence face a high risk of mental health problems due to experiences before displacement, perilous journeys, and conditions in the new host societies. Asylum seekers seem to be in particularly vulnerable situations, indicated by higher prevalence rates of mental health problems compared to resettled refugees. Asylum seekers’ mental health is highly influenced by the conditions they face in host countries while awaiting a decision on their case. In Sweden, 40% of asylum seekers reside in state-provided accommodation centers during the asylum process. Collective accommodation centers for asylum seekers have been said to impose restrictive social conditions and to be associated with poorer mental health outcomes than other housing forms (e.g., self-organized housing). However, there seems to be a scarcity of qualitative studies exploring the experiences of asylum seekers in different contexts. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the experiences of asylum seekers and how they manage their mental wellbeing while living at accommodation centers in Sweden.MethodsFourteen semi-structured interviews with asylum seekers were conducted at two accommodation centers in Sweden. Participants were recruited using purposeful sampling and represented a diverse group of asylum seekers regarding age, background, and gender. The data was analyzed using content analysis.ResultsThree overarching categories were identified; 1) Frozen life, 2) Constant worrying and “overthinking”, and 3) Distractions and peer support. Participants experienced a state of being that could be characterized as a frozen life, which was associated with intense feelings of psychological distress, mostly described as manifesting itself in consuming patterns of ruminative thoughts, for instance overthinking and constant worrying. However, despite high levels of distress, participants demonstrated agency in managing negative mental health outcomes through self-care practices, peer support, and the development of care practices in caring for others in need.ConclusionThis study offers new insights into the everyday challenges that asylum seekers at accommodation centers face. Furthermore, it offers valuable observations of how asylum seekers at accommodation centers cope through self-care practices, peer support, and care practices in caring for peers in need. In order to enable sustainable and empowering support, mental health and psychosocial support services must identify and address both challenges and strengths, be grounded in the lived reality of asylum seekers, and build on existing resources. Moreover, further policy work needs to be done to enable faster asylum processes.
|
|
