College of Liberal Arts (CoLA), Bath Spa University, Newton Park, Bath BA29BN, UK.
Trauma Foundation South West, Barrow Castle, Rush Hill, Bath BA22QR, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Oct 22;15(10):2326. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15102326.
Little is known about how the intersection of being a forced migrant and living with HIV can contribute to the development or exacerbation of pre-existing mental conditions. This study is set in this context and it aims to explore specific risk factors affecting the mental health of refugee women living with HIV. A total of eight refugee women living with HIV took part in the study; they were individually interviewed, and their transcripts were thematically analyzed. The overall findings indicated that participants' mental health was impaired by multiple stressors associated with their conditions, such as racial discrimination, HIV-related stigma, including from health professionals, loneliness, and resettlement adversities. These all represent threats to public health, as they discourage individuals from engaging with adequate health/mental health services. Despite their situation, participants had not received psychological interventions and their healthcare was reduced to managing the physical symptoms of HIV. Participants indicated their need to take part in group interventions that could promote their mental health and social recovery. These findings are relevant to raising awareness about the specific risk factors affecting refugee women living with HIV and to provide evidence for public health interventions based on this specific population's need.
目前对于作为被迫移民和感染艾滋病毒的双重身份如何导致或加剧先前存在的精神疾病知之甚少。本研究正是在这种背景下展开的，旨在探索影响感染艾滋病毒的难民妇女心理健康的具体风险因素。共有 8 名感染艾滋病毒的难民妇女参加了这项研究；对她们进行了单独访谈，并对其转录本进行了主题分析。总体结果表明，参与者的心理健康受到与自身状况相关的多种压力源的损害，如种族歧视、艾滋病毒相关污名，包括来自卫生专业人员的污名、孤独感和重新安置逆境。这些都构成了对公共卫生的威胁，因为它们阻碍了个人获得足够的健康/心理健康服务。尽管处境艰难，参与者仍未接受心理干预，他们的医疗保健也仅限于管理艾滋病毒的身体症状。参与者表示他们需要参加可以促进他们心理健康和社会康复的团体干预。这些研究结果有助于提高对影响感染艾滋病毒的难民妇女的具体风险因素的认识，并为基于这一特定人群需求的公共卫生干预措施提供证据。
