Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health最新文献

African immigrants in the United States (US) have a lower average risk of adverse birth outcomes, compared to US-born Black women. While population-level studies have identified potential explanatory factors, including differences in exposure to racism and access to social support, there are few mixed methods investigations among African immigrants on the West Coast of the US. In this brief report, we outline the strategies deployed to recruit African immigrant mothers in California to the AZANIA (African immigrants conceptualiZing pregnANcy experiences In America) pilot mixed methods study. The AZANIA study was grounded in community-engaged research principles and aimed at understanding the relationship between racism, social support, and use of African cultural practices during pregnancy and childbirth. Within five months we met 100% (n = 25) of our recruitment goal, despite restrictive immigration policies in California. Among the ten recruitment strategies used in the AZANIA study, five effective strategies to recruit African immigrant mothers emerged: referrals from community partner organizations (n = 8), snowball sampling (n = 5), referrals from personal contacts of African descent (n = 5), flyers at African-owned businesses (n = 5) and flyers in Black health-focused newsletters (n = 2). Future studies should consider our culturally-grounded recruitment strategies in their upcoming mixed methods research among African immigrant mothers in the US.

Migration profoundly impacts the health and well-being of individuals and communities worldwide, yet little attention has been given to the concept of mistrust within immigrant healthcare contexts. This article presents a thematic literature review analyzing peer-reviewed articles to explore the nuanced dimensions of mistrust among immigrant populations receiving healthcare. The thematic analysis then carried out reveals that mistrust is mobilized in different ways and four key themes were analyzed: (1) the definition of mistrust given by the authors; (2) their study population, more particularly, who was mistrusting and who/what the object of their mistrust was; (3) the main sources of mistrust identified by the authors and rooted in various life situations and interactions; and finally, (4) the effects of mistrust reported by the authors, which included effects on beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. Understanding and addressing the roots and effects of mistrust are crucial for fostering trust-based healthcare relationships and improving health outcomes for immigrant populations. This research underscores the importance of culturally competent care, effective communication strategies, and policies aimed at reducing systemic biases and discrimination within healthcare systems to build trust and promote health equity among immigrant communities.

Many refugees experience exposure to chronic and traumatic stressors that can lead to complex mental health and other health care needs. The integration of behavioral health into primary care is a promising approach for addressing complex health needs; however, it has been understudied with refugee and immigrant populations. Using a pragmatic randomized control trial design, this study examined inpatient and outpatient health service utilization and associated costs of a primary care-based intensive psychotherapy and case management intervention for 214 Karen refugees with major depression compared to care as usual over time. Results indicated the addition of the behavioral health intervention was associated with reduced inpatient healthcare costs vs. care as usual, shorter hospital stays, and improved patient status at discharge. The average inpatient cost saving exceeded $8,000 per patient among the intervention group. After controlling for key patient characteristics, patients who received the intervention accrued lower outpatient costs as compared to care as usual over 18 months. Findings suggested the integrated behavioral health intervention resulted in lower healthcare costs among refugees with complex health needs engaged in primary health care. Future research is needed to better understand long-term effects and further optimize care for refugees.Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT03788408. Registered 20 Dec 2018. Retrospectively registered.

Asian American (AsAm) youth experience persistent disparities in mental health service use, but quantitative data are lacking in existing investigations of barriers in this population. Here, we sought to characterize key barriers to youth mental health services across multiple domains (i.e., structural, perceptual, cultural, trauma-specific) and explore associations between barriers, youth symptoms, and service use. AsAm caregivers (N = 149, M_age = 39.23, 55% female) completed the study online, reporting on barriers, youth psychopathology, and past-year service use. Caregivers reported significant barriers to seeking youth mental health services in each barrier domain. For youth mental health needs, caregivers reported using medical services most frequently, followed by school-based care and therapy/counseling. Caregivers of youth with clinically significant symptoms (clinical subgroup; n = 51) endorsed barriers more frequently compared to caregivers of youth without (n = 98), and unique key barriers emerged in the clinical subgroup. In the overall sample, mean barrier scores were positively correlated with perceived need for therapy and school-based support services, but not with medical support services. Barrier scores were positively correlated with past-year use of school-based support services, but not with therapy or medical services. Finally, barriers were significantly correlated with youth mental health symptoms, suggesting that caregivers of youth with more severe symptoms perceived more barriers to care. Addressing culturally relevant barriers, in addition to universal barriers, could improve access and engagement with mental health services for AsAm youth. Further research is needed to replicate and generalize these findings to broader samples of AsAm youth and caregivers.

Refugee and migrant women are especially vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV), which can adversely affect their health and well-being. This study examined the association between IPV and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Afghan refugee women living in the Torbat Jam camp, Iran. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 226 married Afghan women who had resided in the camp for at least one year and were living with their husbands or partners. Participants were selected via random sampling from electronic health records. Inclusion criteria included willingness to participate and cognitive ability to complete the questionnaire. HRQoL was assessed using the SF-12 questionnaire, and IPV was measured using the Haj-Yahia Violence Against Women Questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS v26. 65% of women reported experiencing at least one form of IPV in the past two months. Psychological violence was the most common. Women exposed to physical IPV had significantly lower QoL scores (p = 0.012). No significant differences were found in QoL scores for emotional, sexual, or economic IPV. Strong intercorrelations were observed among types of IPV. IPV is highly prevalent and adversely associated with women's quality of life, particularly in its physical dimension. Multisectoral policies and culturally tailored interventions are essential to support refugee women.

Hispanic families in the U.S. remain underrepresented in health intervention research, despite facing disproportionately high rates of childhood obesity. The objective of this "Report from the Field" is to document the lessons learned from recruiting Hispanic parents for a formative research study on health-related parenting practices to lower the risk for childhood obesity. Guided by a community-engaged research approach, we partnered with a local nonprofit, El Puente Hispano, to build trust among the Hispanic population and facilitate recruitment. Semi-structured interviews with 17 parents from six nationalities revealed culturally diverse perspectives often overlooked when Hispanic populations are treated as a single group. Findings highlight the importance of culturally responsive and community-engaged research practices to support recruitment and collect truthful data to inform evidence-based interventions among Hispanic families.

People who prefer a language other than English (LOTE) face barriers across the healthcare system, including hospital emergency departments (EDs). A thematic analysis was employed to gather patient and caregiver perspectives on language access in two St. Louis EDs. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with Spanish-speaking patients and caregivers, and transcripts were analyzed to identify common perceptions of language barriers. Participants reported gaps in video remote interpretation services at security, triage, and during short interactions in the exam room. They also felt obligated to learn English and worried that other patients and staff members judged them for their language preferences. Language-concordant nurses gave patients and caregivers a sense of security through clear communication and advocacy. Participants recommended that the study EDs hire additional bilingual staff members and increase access to video remote interpreters. To reduce health disparities for people who prefer a LOTE, it is essential for emergency departments to gather community perspectives and invest in language service improvements.

Terminology used to refer to individuals of Latin American and Hispanic descent has shifted over time. These linguistic shifts affect the discoverability of research concerning Latino populations, which can have downstream policy, clinical and academic implications. We aimed to analyze trends in the usage of these terms in academic literature to determine the most effective search terms to improve research discoverability for these populations. Conducted a structured search of PubMed ranging from January 2000 and December 2022. We quantify the frequency of publications that used the terms "Hispanic," "Latin", "Latino," "Latina," "Latinx", "Latine" in titles and abstracts or the "Hispanic and Latino" MeSH term. We searched for individual and combination use of these terms. The total number of publications identified per term and extent of overlap between terms was described. We focused on documenting article counts without assessing content and quality of publications. We found a 9-fold increase in the number of articles referencing Latino population over the study period. No individual term captured the entire body of literature available in PubMed; rather, different combinations of terms were used across studies. Shifts in terminology used over time were observed with new terms such as "Latine" and Latinx" rising in the last 10 years. Our study underscores how evolving terminology used in Latino-focused research can affect the discoverability of publications, which has practical implications for policymakers, researchers, and health providers. Scholars should adopt diverse terminologies and strategic keyword integration to promote engagement with Latino-oriented research.

Researchers and policy-makers alike increasingly recognise the importance of engaging diverse perspectives in global migrant research. There is a shift toward more community-led, co-produced, and decolonial approaches that centre migrants as active collaborators in research design, implementation, and dissemination. The aims are to explore [1] the use of participatory approaches in global migration research; [2] genuine participatory approaches or 'best practice' in participatory approaches to migration research and [3] barriers and facilitators for participatory research at a global level. This study used a qualitative design in the form of a structured roundtable discussion. The roundtable was held virtually in 2024 with 16 individual participants from nine countries, with expertise in migration research and practice. The session lasted two hours and was moderated by two facilitators, with open-ended questions designed to elicit reflections on participatory approaches in migrant research. The themes were: use of participatory approaches, best practices, and barriers and facilitators to participation. Participants highlighted key participatory methods commonly used, including the 'use of frameworks', the use as 'researchers as social agents' or intermediaries to amplify migrant community voices and the use of 'community-led direction'. Best practices included the prioritisation of measurable benefits for the community itself, ensuring sustained engagement, from inception to the completion of the project and beyond and avoiding the use of generalising methodologies. Limitations identified were discrimination faced by migrant communities, continued relocation, or misalignment with research funder expectations were also noted. Enablers were the building of community trust, the use of innovative and flexible research funding models, and the establishment of knowledge exchanges between communities and researchers. Future lines of action include addressing these challenges through innovative models such as trust-based philanthropy, and emphasising the need for genuine engagement and community agency - and the inclusion of frontline worker perspectives in research.