Asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland: the impact of post-migration stressors on mental health

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
F. Murphy ◽  
U. M. Vieten
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees

Abstract Objectives: In recent years, Northern Ireland has seen an increase in the numbers of asylum seekers and refugees. Given its status as a post-conflict region, this is a relatively new phenomenon for the area. Northern Ireland is also the only part of the United Kingdom (UK) without a refugee integration strategy. In 2016, we conducted an extensive study for the racial equality unit of the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister in Stormont on the everyday life experience of asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland with view to understanding how service delivery and notions of integration/inclusion impact. Methods: This was a mixed methods study using quantitative survey methods and in-depth semi-structured interviews with service providers, asylum seekers, refugees and new UK citizens. We examined a range of service provision such as education, labour, legal provision, housing and health. Results: This article examines the issue of mental health with respect to asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland. The results delineate how asylum seekers and refugee’s mental health is dramatically impacted by the asylum system in Northern Ireland (and hence, the UK) and the dearth thereof, of particular and necessary supports and access issues in the space of health and mental health in Northern Ireland. We describe how post-migration stressors experienced through the UK asylum system further compound mental health issues. The findings provide a focus on the asylum system, housing and employment. Conclusions: Our research found a dearth of mental health supports in Northern Ireland and concluded that the asylum system in the UK (as a form of post-migration stressor) further exacerbates and contributes to poor mental health and well-being for many asylum seekers and refugees.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bolton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Conflict Processes ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

In the Introduction, the author describes the background to the book and his personal experiences of violence in Northern Ireland - as a social worker and health and social services manager in Enniskillen and Omagh. He addresses the impact of loss and trauma linked to conflict and the implications for mental health and well-being. The structure of the book is outlined and the author sets the rest of the book in the argument that the mental health of conflict affected communities should be an early and key consideration in peace talks, politics and post-conflict processes.

Towards culturally inclusive mental health: learning from focus groups with those with refugee and asylum seeker status in Plymouth

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Fish ◽  
Olivia Fakoussa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Asylum Seeker ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees

Purpose Pre- and post-immigration trauma and stress make refugees a particularly vulnerable group in terms of mental health and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to describe a listening project undertaken in Plymouth, UK, which sought the views of 17 service users (n=12) and staff (n=5) from four local support organisations, for people with refugee and asylum seeker status and those with diverse cultural backgrounds. Aims of the project were to expand Western-centric understandings regarding beneficial support and the promotion of good mental health and well-being in this population. Design/methodology/approach Responses were subjected to thematic analysis, co-conducted with a service user. Participants were asked about their personal understandings of mental health and well-being and what supports or hinders well-being. Findings The findings enabled the development of a model incorporating 10 threads which support and 9 holes that can hinder well-being. Research limitations/implications The relatively small numbers of participants compared with the numbers of asylum seekers and refugees in Plymouth may not be fully representative of the general population in Plymouth and the UK. Originality/value Despite increasing cultural diversity within the UK population, available mental health services exist mainly as developed from a Western psychological model of mental distress and treatment. This research provides services with a more informed understanding of mental health for asylum seekers and refugees. As such it is of value towards future service design in Plymouth and the UK. Findings also contributed to a successful funding bid to set up a peer-led support project in the city.

Leveraging Twitter Using Artificial Intelligence to Explore Mental Health Insights in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Marshall ◽  
Kate Lanyi ◽  
Rhiannon Green ◽  
Georgie Wilkins ◽  
Fiona Pearson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND There is increasing need to explore the value of soft-intelligence, leveraged using the latest artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) techniques, as a source of analysed evidence to support public health research activity and decision-making. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to further explore the value of soft-intelligence analysed using AI through a case study, which examined a large collection of UK tweets relating to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A search strategy comprising a list of terms related to mental health, COVID-19, and lockdown restrictions was developed to prospectively collate relevant tweets via Twitter’s advanced search application programming interface over a 24-week period. We deployed a specialist NLP platform to explore tweet frequency and sentiment across the UK and identify key topics of discussion. A series of keyword filters were used to clean the initial data retrieved and also set up to track specific mental health problems. Qualitative document analysis was carried out to further explore and expand upon the results generated by the NLP platform. All collated tweets were anonymised RESULTS We identified and analysed 286,902 tweets posted from UK user accounts from 23 July 2020 to 6 January 2021. The average sentiment score was 50%, suggesting overall neutral sentiment across all tweets over the study period. Major fluctuations in volume and sentiment appeared to coincide with key changes to any local and/or national social-distancing measures. Tweets around mental health were polarising, discussed with both positive and negative sentiment. Key topics of consistent discussion over the study period included the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health (both positively and negatively), fear and anxiety over lockdowns, and anger and mistrust toward the government. CONCLUSIONS Through the primary use of an AI-based NLP platform, we were able to rapidly mine and analyse emerging health-related insights from UK tweets into how the pandemic may be impacting people’s mental health and well-being. This type of real-time analysed evidence could act as a useful intelligence source that agencies, local leaders, and health care decision makers can potentially draw from, particularly during a health crisis.

scholarly journals Understanding the lived experiences of Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interpretative phenomenological analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily McGlinchey ◽  
Catherine Hitch ◽  
Sarah Butter ◽  
Laura Mccaughey ◽  
Emma Berry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Qualitative Methodologies

Background: Little research has examined mental health and well-being in the context of healthcare professionals (HCP) working during the COVID-19 pandemic within the UK. To our knowledge, no research has employed qualitative methodologies in order to examine this. We therefore aim to address this gap in research by qualitatively examining the lived experiences of HCPs in Northern Ireland, working during the early stages of the pandemic and lockdown period (14.04.20 and 29.04.20).Method: Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to qualitatively examine the lived experiences of healthcare professionals, who were working during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ten HCPs were recruited via a social media campaign and snowball sampling. All interviews were conducted via telephone and transcribed verbatim. Results: Three superordinate themes with subordinate themes were elicited through the analysis. Theme one broadly captured present and future challenges of HCPs working during the pandemic. Theme two captured the mental health and wellbeing of HCPs and theme three captured HCPs’ perceptions of the attitudes of the general public towards HCPs. Conclusions: To the authors’ knowledge this is the first study to explore in depth, the unique experiences of frontline HCPs in Northern Ireland, offering a detailed account of the challenges confronted in these unprecedented circumstances and highlighting support needs within this cohort.

scholarly journals Wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a secondary data analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jen Murphy ◽  
Mark Elliot
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
National Level ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: In March 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic the UK government declared a national lockdown where citizens were required to stay at home. The impact of this lockdown on levels of well-being has been a source of concern for citizens and mental health professionals.Objectives: We investigated the trajectory of well-being over the course of the ?first wave and sought to determine whether the change in well-being is distributed equally across the population. Speci?fically we investigated pre-existing medical conditions, social isolation, ?financial stress and deprivation as a predictor for well-being and whether there were community level characteristics which protect against poorer well-being.Methods: Using online survey responses from the COVID19 modules of Understanding society, we linked 8,379 English cases across ?five waves of data collection to location based deprivation statistics. We used ordinary least squares regression to estimate the association between deprivation, pre-existing conditions and socio-demographic factors and the change in well-being scores over time, as measured by the GHQ-12 questionnaire.Results: A decline in well-being was observed at the beginning of the fi?rst lock down period at the beginning of March 2020. This was matched with a corresponding recovery between April and July as restrictions were gradually lifted. There was no association between the decline and deprivation, nor between deprivation and recovery. The strongest predictor of well-being during the lockdown, was the baseline score, with the counterintuitive finding that for those will pre-existing poor well-being, the impact of pandemic restrictions on mental health were minimal, but for those who had previously felt well, the restrictions and the impact of the pandemic on well-being were much greater.Conclusion: These data show no evidence of a social gradient in well-being related to the pandemic. In fact, wellbeing was shown to be highly elastic in this period indicating a national level of resilience which cut across the usually observed health inequalities.

scholarly journals The Imagination of the Other in a (Post-)Sectarian Society: Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Divided City of Belfast

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike M. Vieten ◽  
Fiona Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The City ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees ◽  
Do So

This article explores the ways a salient sectarian community division in Northern Ireland frames the imagination of newcomers and the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees. We examine the dominant ethno-national Christian communities and how their actions define the social-spatial landscape and challenges of manoeuvring everyday life in Northern Ireland as an ‘Other’. We argue all newcomers are impacted to some degree by sectarianism in Northern Ireland, adding a further complexified layer to the everyday and institutional racism so prevalent in different parts of the UK and elsewhere. First, we discuss the triangle of nation, gender and ethnicity in the context of Northern Ireland. We do so in order to problematise that in a society where two adversarial communities exist the ‘Other’ is positioned differently to other more cohesive national societies. This complication impacts how the Other is imagined as the persistence of binary communities shapes the way local civil society engages vulnerable newcomers, e.g. in the instance of our research, asylum seekers and refugees. This is followed by an examination of the situation of asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland. We do so by contextualising the historical situation of newcomers and the socio-spatial landscape of the city of Belfast. In tandem with this, we discuss the role of NGO’s and civil support organisations in Belfast and contrast these views with the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees. This article is based on original empirical material from a study conducted in 2016 on the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees with living in Northern Ireland.

scholarly journals CovidLife: a resource to understand mental health, well-being and behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
Chloe Fawns-Ritchie ◽  
Drew M. Altschul ◽  
Archie Campbell ◽  
Charlotte Huggins ◽  
Clifford Nangle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Psychological Measures ◽  
Health Lifestyle ◽  
Generation Scotland ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

CovidLife is a longitudinal observational study designed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, well-being and behaviour in adults living in the UK. In total, 18,518 participants (mean age = 56.43, SD = 14.35) completed the first CovidLife questionnaire (CovidLife1) between April and June 2020. To date, participants have completed two follow-up assessments. CovidLife2 took place between July and August 2020 (n = 11,319), and CovidLife3 took place in February 2021 (n = 10,386). A range of social and psychological measures were administered at each wave including assessments of anxiety, depression, well-being, loneliness and isolation. Information on sociodemographic, health, and economic circumstances was also collected. Questions also assessed information on COVID-19 infections and symptoms, compliance to COVID-19 restrictions, and opinions on the UK and Scottish Governments’ handling of the pandemic. CovidLife includes a subsample of 4,847 participants from the Generation Scotland cohort (N~24,000, collected 2006-2011); a well-characterised cohort of families in Scotland with pre-pandemic data on mental health, physical health, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors, along with biochemical and genomic data derived from biological samples. These participants also consented to their study data being linked to Scottish health records. CovidLife and Generation Scotland data can be accessed and used by external researchers following approval from the Generation Scotland Access Committee. CovidLife can be used to investigate mental health, well-being and behaviour during COVID-19; how these vary according to sociodemographic, health and economic circumstances; and how these change over time. The Generation Scotland subsample with pre-pandemic data and linkage to health records can be used to investigate the predictors of health and well-being during COVID-19 and the future health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals The impact of the first UK Covid-19 lockdown on carers and people living with low prevalence dementia: results from the Rare Dementia Support survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aida Suárez-González ◽  
Emma Harding ◽  
Nikki Zimmerman ◽  
Zoe Hoare ◽  
Emilie Brotherhood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Cognitive Symptoms ◽  
Family Carers ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
Person With Dementia ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIntroductionThe public health measures imposed to contain Covid-19 during the first UK lockdown resulted in significant changes in the provision of community support and care for people with dementia. People with low prevalence and young-onset dementias often experience non-memory, behavioural or neuropsychiatric symptoms that require specialised support.ObjectiveWe explored the impact of the first Covid-19 lockdown on people living with low prevalence and young-onset dementia and their carers in the UK.MethodAn online survey, including eleven questions about the impact of the lockdown on both the person with dementia and their family caregivers was conducted. Participants were people living with dementia and caregivers who are members of the UK national-reach organisation Rare Dementia Support.Results184 carers and 24 people with dementia completed the survey. People with dementia experienced worsening of cognitive symptoms (70%), ability to do things (62%) and well-being (57%) according to their carers. Carers also reported a reduction in the support received for caring (55%). 93% of carers of people living in care homes reported a reduction in their ability to provide care. 26% of carers reported changes in the medication of the person with dementia during the lockdown. 74% of people with dementia reported decreased ability to connect with people socially.ConclusionsPeople with dementia experienced a worsening of dementia symptoms, removal of support and increased difficulty to connect with other people socially during the 1st wave of Covid-19. Carers encountered barriers to both receiving and providing support and a decline in their own mental health and well-being.Key points70 % of carers reported cognitive symptoms getting worse during the lockdown (e.g., the person with dementia being more disoriented and finding it more difficult to communicate).26 % of carers reported a change (initiation or increase) in medication in the person with dementia during the lockdown.79 % carers reported their own physical or mental health getting worse due to the lockdown. This increased to 93% when considering responses only from family carers of people living in care homes.93 % of family carers of people living in care homes found it harder to continue providing care and support for their relative due to Covid-19.

Report2: Impact of Covid-19 on young people aged 13-24 in the UK- preliminary findings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liat Levita ◽  
Jilly Gibson Miller ◽  
Todd K. Hartman ◽  
Jamie Murphy ◽  
Mark Shevlin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Adult Study ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

A brief follow on report (from Report 1, see https://psyarxiv.com/uq4rn/). This report presents data on parents and their children's well being as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from our adult survey study. In addition to presenting additional data showing a potentially significant increase in anxiety and depression in young people aged 13-24, as a consequence of COVID-19. Data collection for our Adult Study (Wave 2) took place between 22nd April and was ended on Friday, May 1st, here we report headline figures for the impact of Covid-19 on parents and their children. We have described our methods in a separate report (https://psyarxiv.com/wxe2n) and released two reports on our mental health outcomes from wave 1 (https://psyarxiv.com/hb6nq, https://psyarxiv.com/ydvc7).

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Factors Affecting Mental Health and Well-Being of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivien L. Hajak ◽  
Srishti Sardana ◽  
Helen Verdeli ◽  
Simone Grimm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
German Studies ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees

Background: Since the onset of the 2015 European refugee crisis, ~4. 46 million people have sought asylum in the European Union, with Germany logging the largest share of all asylum applications. In addition to the severe adversities before and during flight, the process of settling into a new environment involves stressors that affect psychological well-being and mental health. The aim of this systematic review was to examine contextual factors during post-migration that influence the mental health and well-being of asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs) in Germany.Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted across multiple databases for English and German studies published between 2015 and 2020 with index keywords.Results: From a total of 303 articles, 156 duplicates were removed and, after title review, another 87 were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria. After assessing the abstracts of the remaining 60 articles, 39 were excluded. Full texts of 21 articles were assessed for eligibility and after excluding 8 articles, 13 articles were included in the review. The results demonstrate high rates of psychological distress among ASRs in Germany and the significant influence of contextual factors on their mental health and psychological well-being. The risk factors for poor mental health include an uncertain asylum status, living in shared asylum accommodations, separation from the nuclear family, lack of German language skills, integration issues and discrimination, while employment is a protective factor.Conclusion: Asylum seekers and refugees have high prevalence rates of psychological distress directly influenced by contextual factors in Germany. Based on these findings, policy makers are strongly recommended to apply preventive strategies to reduce mental health problems of ASRs in Germany.

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