African refugee and immigrant health Needs: Report from a Community-Based House Meeting Project

摘要

To obtain information from African refugees and immigrants about their health needs and barriers to health care.Lay the foundation for future work of the African Partnership for Health, a coalition of African community members, service providers, and researchers.Since the 1990s, many African refugees arrived in the United States from war-torn countries. Additionally, many immigrants from Africa have come to the United States outside of an organized refugee resettlement program.African refugees and immigrants are an especially vulnerable group. Nearly every aspect of life in the United States-climate, dress, food, housing options, work, social networks, laws, and normative values-is dramatically different from life in Africa.Information about the health needs of Africans is lacking due to limited research on Africans living in the United States and the lack of census, county, state, and federal health data on African population groups.Participants in house meetings described a number of sources of stress, including the disappointment Africans experienced upon arrival in the United States and the sadness and loneliness they felt, separated from networks of support left behind in Africa. Financial hardships, emotional consequences of trauma experienced in their home countries, and strains on family relationships were described.Although formal mental health services were recognized as a valuable resource by some, participants were more likely to describe their emotional challenges as "stress" rather than mental unwellness and were often reluctant to seek formal mental health services.