The Syrian Refugee Crisis

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmihan Almontaser ◽  
Steven L. Baumann
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
The United States ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Culturally Sensitive Care ◽  
Syrian Refugee ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
American Patient ◽  
Syrian Refugee Crisis

The civil war in Syria that began in 2011 has displaced millions of Syrians of all ages. While the number that have arrived in the United States is small in comparison to many other countries, it is important that nurses and other healthcare workers here understand that many of them have faced considerable trauma and endured stresses. Most of them are Muslims. Muslims in the United States and elsewhere represent a heterogeneous group of people with a long intellectual and cultural history. Islamic cultural patterns do pose unique barriers to a primarily Anglo-Saxon medical system that medical practitioners need to consider in order to avoid misunderstanding and provide culturally sensitive care. The authors discuss the Syrian refugee crisis and the experience of being a Muslim or Arab American patient in U.S. healthcare settings.

scholarly journals Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs of Syrian Refugees: A Literature Review and Future Directions

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 833-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asli Cennet Yalim ◽  
Isok Kim
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Syrian Refugee ◽  
Syrian Refugee Crisis

Since 2011, the Syrian refugee crisis has resulted in a massive displacement of Syrians, inside and outside of Syria. The enormous psychosocial needs of displaced Syrians have been documented by various reports and studies. With expected arrivals of Syrian refugees resettling in the United States in the near future, the intensity of the challenges for both resettlement agencies and the Syrian refugees themselves are expected to increase. A literature review was conducted for publications produced between March 2011 and January 2017. Academic and grey literature were explored to provide an overview of the psychosocial well-being and cultural characteristics of Syrians. Additionally, current models were analyzed to identify future directions for social work practice. It is vital to understand the Syrian refugee crisis through a multidisciplinary lens. Responding to the challenges found among Syrians requires deliberate consideration for sociocultural, historical, and political issues that uniquely describe them and their contexts. Identifying psychosocial needs may facilitate other aspects of resettlement outcomes, such as employment, education, and social integration. Incorporating a holistic model that reflects trauma-informed and human rights perspectives into clinical as well as policy practices is critical for better overall resettlement outcomes for Syrian refugees, and refugee populations in general.

The Special Perils of Being Old and Sick in Prison

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 276-284
Author(s):  
William J. Jefferson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Constitution ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Access To Medical Care

The United States Supreme Court declared in 1976 that deliberate indifference to the serious medical needs of prisoners constitutes the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain…proscribed by the Eighth Amendment. It matters not whether the indifference is manifested by prison doctors in their response to the prisoner’s needs or by prison guards intentionally denying or delaying access to medical care or intentionally interfering with treatment once prescribed—adequate prisoner medical care is required by the United States Constitution. My incarceration for four years at the Oakdale Satellite Prison Camp, a chronic health care level camp, gives me the perspective to challenge the generally promoted claim of the Bureau of Federal Prisons that it provides decent medical care by competent and caring medical practitioners to chronically unhealthy elderly prisoners. The same observation, to a slightly lesser extent, could be made with respect to deficiencies in the delivery of health care to prisoners of all ages, as it is all significantly deficient in access, competencies, courtesies and treatments extended by prison health care providers at every level of care, without regard to age. However, the frailer the prisoner, the more dangerous these health care deficiencies are to his health and, therefore, I believe, warrant separate attention. This paper uses first-hand experiences of elderly prisoners to dismantle the tale that prisoner healthcare meets constitutional standards.

Formulating another’s report of troubles in peer support

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Pudlinski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Mental Health System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Telephone Support ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Professional Perspective

This study stems from an interest in peer support talk, an underexplored area of research, and in how supportive actions such as formulated summaries function in comparison to more professional healthcare settings. Using conversation analysis, this study explores 35 instances of formulations within 65 calls to four different ‘warm lines’, a term for peer-to-peer telephone support within the community mental health system in the United States. Formulations can be characterized across two related axes: client versus professional perspective, and directive versus nondirective. The findings show that formulations within peer support were overwhelmingly nondirective, in terms of meeting institutional agendas to let callers talk. However, formulations ranged from client-oriented ones that highlight or repeat caller reports to those which transform caller reports through integrating past caller experiences or implicit caller emotions. These tactics are found to have similarities to how formulations function in professional healthcare settings.

Refugees in Resettlement: Processes, Policies, and Mental Health in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-195
Author(s):  
Johanna E. Nilsson ◽  
Katherine C. Jorgenson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
The United States ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Intervention Model ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
American Psychological ◽  
Introductory Article

According to 2019 data, there are 26 million refugees and 3.5 million asylum seekers around the globe, representing a major humanitarian crisis. This Major Contribution provides information on the experiences of refugees resettled in the United States via the presentation of five manuscripts. In this introductory article, we address the current refugee crisis, refugee policies, and resettlement processes in the United States, as well as the American Psychological Association’s response to the crisis and the role of counseling psychology in serving refugees. Next follows three empirical articles, addressing aspects of the resettlement experiences of three groups of refugees: Somali, Burmese, and Syrian. The final article provides an overview of a culturally responsive intervention model to use when working with refugees.

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