Beiser M, Hou F
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ont., Canada.
Soc Sci Med. 2001 Nov;53(10):1321-34. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(00)00412-3.
The current study examines the risk-inducing effects of unemployment and the protective effects of language facility on the mental health of Southeast Asian refugees resettling in Canada. Rates of depression and of unemployment declined dramatically during the first decade after arrival. Although language fluency also improved during this period, approximately 8% of the sample spoke no English even after 10 years in the country. Initial depression was a strong predictor of subsequent depression. For males, job experience in Canada was the strongest predictor of subsequent employment whereas, for women, depression proved an important predictor of employability. For men in particular, unemployment was a potent risk factor for depression. During the initial period of resettlement, English-speaking ability had no effect on depression or on employment. However, by the end of the first decade in Canada. English language fluency was a significant predictor of depression and employment, particularly among refugee women and among people who did not become engaged in the labor market during the earliest years of resettlement. Study results demonstrate that the mental health salience of risk and protective factors changes according to the phase of resettlement.
本研究考察了失业的风险诱发效应以及语言能力对定居加拿大的东南亚难民心理健康的保护作用。抵达后的头十年里，抑郁率和失业率大幅下降。尽管在此期间语言流利程度也有所提高，但即使在该国生活了10年后，仍有大约8%的样本不会说英语。初始抑郁是后续抑郁的有力预测指标。对于男性而言，在加拿大的工作经历是后续就业的最强预测指标，而对于女性来说，抑郁被证明是就业能力的一个重要预测指标。特别是对于男性，失业是抑郁的一个强大风险因素。在重新安置的初始阶段，说英语的能力对抑郁或就业没有影响。然而，到在加拿大的第一个十年结束时，英语流利程度是抑郁和就业的一个重要预测指标，特别是在难民妇女以及在重新安置的最初几年没有进入劳动力市场的人群中。研究结果表明，风险和保护因素对心理健康的显著影响会根据重新安置的阶段而变化。
