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Vietnam ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2015, signalling a commitment to the basic human rights of citizens with disabilities. Previous research has shown people with disabilities in Vietnam to be marginalised in society, often with limited educational or work opportunity, and with limited financial means. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in Vietnam and a thematic analysis approach to data interpretation, this article examines the current status of people with disabilities in Vietnam in relation to the core elements of the CRPD, from the perspectives of people with disabilities, their families, and professionals who support them. Findings suggest that, while Vietnamese society has made strides supporting people with disabilities, work remains to be done for the country to comply with the CRPD's core principles. Suggestions for future action are offered, including ways to support human rights of people with disabilities within cultural contexts.

ObjectivesDesignResultsConclusionsForced migration and its subsequent sequelae have caused refugees to face significant adversities throughout the displacement process, making them susceptible to significant health issues. Refugees displaced in Africa are a group especially vulnerable to poor health outcomes, experiencing a documented decline in overall physical and mental health status and rise in mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Despite the heightened health risks experienced by Somali refugees, particularly women, research into their complex illness experiences and co-/multimorbid health conditions is scarce, leaving a gap in our understanding of the multifaceted health challenges of this population.Using structural vulnerability theory, this study explores how the broader host context shapes illness experiences for Somali refugee women in Kenya. Specifically, we describe the factors associated with illness experiences of urban Somali refugee women and how this compares with women with other similarly situated identities, such as Somali Kenyan women, other/non-Somali refugees, and Kenyan women. In-depth interviews were conducted with 43 women in Eastleigh, Kenya.Using hybrid thematic analysis, the emergent themes were grouped into three distinct domains: (1) multimorbid, complex illness experiences, (2) embodiment of structural vulnerability, and (3) distinct/shared vulnerability among refugee/non-refugee women. Results suggest that illness experiences of displaced refugee women are inextricably linked to traumatic experiences before displacement, as well as the experiences of transmigration stressors and the hostile socio-legal dynamics encountered post-displacement.Our findings also have implications for the need to consider intersectional identities when examining for differential exposure to structural risks and the susceptibility to poor health experiences as well as supports the need for urgent change and improvement in systems of social protection and basic care for refugees experiencing prolonged displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Previous research that revealed a high prevalence of low health literacy among immigrants and refugees tended to over emphasise functional health literacy as a risk factor for low health status and poor disease management. Despite a significant knowledge gap, little has been investigated regarding critical health literacy (CHL) in refugee populations whose culture deeply interweaves individual and contextual capacity to promote health. Design: This study adopted a qualitative approach to explore CHL that is built through community health workshops (CHWs) with Afghan and Congolese refugee communities in US resettlement. Setting: As part of a community-based participatory research project, the study was conducted with Afghan and Congolese refugees resettled in the USA. Method: A series of open-ended questions for focus group interviews were embedded in each workshop session explore health literacy skills and capacity over time. This study adopted a hybrid thematic design whereby the conceptual framework of CHL was applied to emergent themes from the data. Results: Thematic analysis revealed four major CHL thematic domains, as experienced and demonstrated by Afghan and Congolese refugee participants: (1) critical appraisal, (2) self-efficacy and confidence, (3) empowerment, and (4) collective problem solving. Conclusion: Study findings underline the importance of health education validating existing cultural knowledge and practices in a group setting so as to facilitate the building and enhancement of social support systems and community action for health promotion.

This study explores the reactions of social work students in a course on trauma treatment and how those reactions changed over time. Consensual qualitative research methods were used to analyze 17 participant journals submitted at 4 times during the course. Findings indicate that students experienced a range of responses to traumatic material, including both positive and negative emotional, cognitive, behavioral, physical, and relational reactions. Student survivors of trauma reported reactions related to their own trauma. Although student reactions became less acute over time during the course, recommendations for the pedagogy of trauma are offered, including curriculum related to the management of vicarious and secondary trauma reactions as well as the development of evidence-based practices for self-care.

This article describes the development of self-care practices of social work students who were part of a larger study of students' experiences in a graduate course on the treatment of trauma. Consensual qualitative research methods were used to analyze 17 participant journals submitted at 4 times during the course. Findings indicated that students benefited from being introduced to evidence-based practices for mediating the stress of trauma education, including journaling and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Although students reported struggling with developing effective self-care practices, they demonstrated an ability to integrate self-care into their professional practice behaviors. The authors review recommendations for research and pedagogy of self-care practices in courses on trauma treatment.

Background: Refugee youth often face numerous adversities before and during forced migration. Although experiences vary across settings and subpopulations, common mental disorders are prevalent among refugee youth who are displaced in low- and middle-income countries. It is important to examine how risk factors are intricately linked and contribute to common mental health issues to inform clinical practice and social policy. Aims: This study aims to test the pathways from risk factors previously identified as determinants of Somali refugee youth mental health (i.e. trauma exposure, substance use, social functioning, aggression) to symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and somatic pains. Method: We collected survey data in 2013, using snowball sampling to recruit Somali refugee youth (15–35 years old) living in Eastleigh, Kenya. We ran three structural equation models to assess paths from trauma exposure to mental health symptoms, through psychosocial factors including substance use, aggression, and functional impairment. We first conducted this analysis with a mixed-gender sample (N = 305) and then assessed gender differences by running one model for male participants (n = 124) and another for female participants (n = 181). Results: In the mixed-gender sample, trauma exposure directly predicted substance use and both directly and indirectly predicted aggression, functional impairment, and mental health symptoms. Substance use directly predicted aggression and functional impairment, and substance use both directly and indirectly predicted mental health symptoms. The split-gender models revealed gender differences, with only functional impairment directly predicting mental health symptoms in the male sample and with many significant direct and indirect pathways in the female sample. Conclusions: This study shows the role of trauma exposure, substance use, aggression, and social functioning in determining mental health outcomes among refugee youth and how CMD symptoms are differently manifested across genders in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Comorbid common mental disorders (CMDs) are pervasive in refugee populations. However, limited research has explored psychosocial factors for mental disorder comorbidity in Somali refugee samples. Aims: This study aims to explore potential risk and protective factors for comorbid depression-anxiety and comorbid depression-PTSD by examining associations between trauma exposure, psychosocial factors, and mental health symptoms among a sample of Somali refugees displaced in urban Kenya. Methods: We used snowball sampling to recruit Somali youth aged 15 to 35years(N = 250, n = 143 female, n = 88 male, n = 19 unknown gender). We measured 16 common types of trauma exposure and three psychosocial factors (endorsing violence, willingness to share problems, and symptom awareness) and used the HSCL-25 and PCL-C to capture individual and comorbid CMD symptoms, using guided cutoff points and/or algorithms. We then ran a series of logistic regression analyses to examine relationships between trauma exposure, psychosocial factors, and individual and comorbid CMD symptoms. Results: Findings showed that increased trauma exposure predicted symptoms of individual and comorbid CMDs. Increased symptom awareness and endorsement of violence predicted comorbid depression-PTSD and comorbid anxiety-depression symptoms, respectively. Willingness to share problems buffered depressive symptoms but did not predict comorbidity. Conclusions: These findings revealed the high CMD comorbidity prevalence with differential effects of trauma and psychosocial factors on individual or comorbid mental disorders. This study suggests a need for transdiagnostic approaches that cut across Western diagnostic boundaries and consider culturally responsive and relevant items for mental health measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has significant impacts on refugee populations and created social, economic as well as public health crises that led to multipronged challenges and barriers to resettlement services and community support. This study aims to explore the impacts of the pandemic on refugee service provision from the standpoint of refugee-serving professionals, refugee community leaders, and volunteers. Using rapid evaluation and appraisal methods, we conducted individual and focus group interviews with 42 key stakeholders in refugee services, followed by a brief online survey with 69 service providers. A thematic analysis revealed how preexisting are conflated with emergent barriers during the pandemic and how such cumulative adversities experienced by the refugee community have widened the gaps in social services and healthcare as well as social support within the refugee community. This study proposes several implications for future research and policy in social work with refugee populations during the post-COVID time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vietnam ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2015, signalling a commitment to the basic human rights of citizens with disabilities. Previous research has shown people with disabilities in Vietnam to be marginalised in society, often with limited educational or work opportunity, and with limited financial means. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in Vietnam and a thematic analysis approach to data interpretation, this article examines the current status of people with disabilities in Vietnam in relation to the core elements of the CRPD, from the perspectives of people with disabilities, their families, and professionals who support them. Findings suggest that, while Vietnamese society has made strides supporting people with disabilities, work remains to be done for the country to comply with the CRPD's core principles. Suggestions for future action are offered, including ways to support human rights of people with disabilities within cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the rapidly growing need to understand and address the unique needs of refugee elders in resettlement, few studies have focused on how continued losses of culture affects coping and distress among refugee families with elderly parents. This qualitative study explores Hindu Bhutanese elders' cultural losses and coping and their bereavement of cultural resources and life transition. Thematic analysis revealed three major thematic domains of cultural losses: cultural collision, cultural trauma and bereavement, and continued distress and loss spiral. This study emphasizes efforts to address cultural losses and trauma to bridge intergenerational gaps and to invigorate family and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marginalization process of refugees during resettlement has rarely been explored empirically due to the challenges in identifying and accessing the population. To understand how stress and coping throughout the migration and resettlement processes can result in marginalization in refugees resettled in the United States, this study conducted in-depth individual interviews with 16 homeless Hmong refugee families. The findings revealed how cumulated adversities eroded coping resources and how impeded coping capacity fuels social isolation and marginalization. In addition, an enclosed family support system tends to limit types of available help and social interactions and thus frustrates the use of diversified coping strategies that are critical to healthy acculturation. This study underscores the importance of expanded resettlement services that promote both formal and informal social supports and enhance balanced social integration of the refugee community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female genital mutilation or circumcision (FGM/C) is a perilous social and cultural practice that affects the physical, mental, and psychological health of affected women. It is widespread around the world, affecting 200 million women and girls. This study aimed to explore the relation of FGM/C to mental and physical conditions in Somali refugees displaced in a low-resource setting, applying the concept of poly-victimization to reveal multifaceted trauma sequelae. Data for this cross-sectional study with 143 female Somali youth living in Eastleigh, Kenya were collected between April and May in 2013. FGM/C was strongly associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. Logistic regression analysis revealed that separation from a parent and poly-victimization experiences were significantly associated with FGM/C experience. The results also showed that FGM/C and other traumas did not occur singly but were indicative of cumulative adversities, especially for women who were socially vulnerable and marginalized. The results of this study highlight the practice of FGM/C in the context of other adverse living conditions of refugees and the importance of attending to other co-occurring risk factors that prevail with FGM/C practice in the ecological system of refugee forced migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]