Yale National Clinician Scholars Program, PO Box 208088, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, Yale Medical School, New Haven, CT, USA.
J Immigr Minor Health. 2022 Apr;24(2):481-488. doi: 10.1007/s10903-021-01206-7. Epub 2021 May 2.
Refugee children are at risk for mental/behavioral health problems but may not receive timely diagnosis or care. Parental experiences and perspectives about resources in the US may help guide interventions to improve mental/behavioral health care. In a community-academic partnership, we performed a qualitative study of recently-arrived Afghan refugee parents, using in-depth, semi-structured interviews to characterize experiences with parenting, education, and health care services. A four-person coding team identified, described, and refined themes. We interviewed 19 parents from ten families, with a median residence in the US of 24 months. Four themes emerged; parents described: (1) shifting focus as safety needs changed, (2) acculturation stress, (3) adjustment to an emerging US support system, and (4) appreciation of an engaged health care system. Health and educational providers' appreciation for the process of acculturation among newly-arrived refugee Afghan families may facilitate screening, diagnostic, and intervention strategies to improve care.
难民儿童面临心理健康/行为问题的风险，但他们可能无法及时得到诊断或治疗。父母在美国的经历和对资源的看法可能有助于指导干预措施，以改善心理健康/行为保健。在社区学术合作中，我们对最近抵达的阿富汗难民父母进行了定性研究，采用深入的半结构化访谈来描述育儿、教育和医疗服务方面的经验。一个由四人组成的编码小组确定、描述和完善了主题。我们采访了来自十个家庭的 19 位父母，他们在美国的平均居住时间为 24 个月。有四个主题出现；父母描述了：（1）随着安全需求的变化而转移焦点，（2）文化适应压力，（3）适应新兴的美国支持系统，以及（4）对积极参与的医疗保健系统的赞赏。卫生和教育提供者对新抵达的阿富汗难民家庭的文化适应过程的理解，可能有助于改善护理的筛查、诊断和干预策略。
