Supporting African refugees in Canada: insights from a support intervention.
Although evidence suggests the importance of social support for refugees, this knowledge has not been invoked to systematically develop culturally congruent support interventions that help refugees adapt to life in receiving countries. The objective of this study was to design and pilot test a culturally congruent intervention that meets the support needs and preferences of two ethno-culturally distinct refugee groups. Support was delivered to Somali and Sudanese refugees (n = 58), by trained peer and professional facilitators. Face-to-face groups comprised of refugees, matched by gender and ethnicity, were created to enhance the depleted social networks of Somali and Sudanese refugees. Each peer support group met bi-weekly for a face-to-face session for 12 weeks. Peer facilitators delivered supplementary one-to-one support via the telephone. The ingredients of the support intervention included: (i) peer facilitators and professionals; (ii) provision of information, affirmation and emotional support; and (iii) accessibility (e.g. childcare, transportation). The study employed a qualitative participatory research design. Data collected for the study included (i) in-depth pre-intervention interviews with potential support group participants in 2008-2009 to assess intervention preferences; (ii) fieldnotes by peer and professional facilitators during the intervention in 2009-10; (iii) post-intervention group interviews with support group participants in 2010; and (iv) in-depth interviews with peer and professional helpers in 2010. A major perceived benefit of the support programme was connecting with people from African refugee participants' cultural communities. Participants appreciated the gender and culture-specific groups. Following the social support intervention, refugees reported increased social integration, decreased loneliness and expanded coping repertoire.
Faculty of Nursing and School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. miriam.stewart@ualberta.ca
Miriam
M
Stewart
Laura
L
Simich
Edward
E
Shizha
Knox
K
Makumbe
Edward
E
Makwarimba
D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012036:Refugees; D040241:Social Marketing; D012944:Social Support; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D013397:Sudan / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult