Advocates for Youth, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America.
International Rescue Committee, Atlanta Office, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
PLoS Med. 2021 May 3;18(5):e1003579. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003579. eCollection 2021 May.
Refugee resettlement offices are the first point of contact for newly arrived refugees and play a significant role in helping refugees acclimate and settle into life in the United States. Available literature suggests that refugee women are vulnerable to poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, including sexually transmitted infections and HIV infections as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes, but little is known about the role that refugee resettlement offices play in supporting refugee women's SRH. This study examines the capacity and interest of resettlement offices in providing SRH information and referrals to newly arrived refugees.
The research team conducted an online survey of staff members at refugee resettlement offices throughout the US in 2018 to determine (1) available SRH resources and workshops; (2) referrals to and assistance with making appointments for SRH and primary care appointments; (3) barriers to addressing SRH needs of clients; and (4) interest in building the capacity of office staff to address SRH issues. The survey was created for this study and had not been previously used or validated. Survey data underwent descriptive analysis. A total of 236 resettlement offices were contacted, with responses from 100 offices, for a total response rate of 42%. Fifteen percent (N = 15) of refugee resettlement agencies (RRAs) who responded to the survey provide materials about SRH to clients, and 49% (N = 49) incorporate sexual health into the classes they provide to newly arrived refugee clients. Moreover, 12% (N = 12) of responding RRAs screen clients for pregnancy intention, and 20% (N = 20) directly refer to contraceptive care and services. This study is limited by the response rate of the survey; no conclusions can be drawn about those offices that did not respond. In addition, the survey instrument was not validated against any other sources of information about the practices of refugee resettlement offices.
In this study, we observed that many resettlement offices do not routinely provide information or referrals for SRH needs. Responding offices cite lack of time and competing priorities as major barriers to providing SRH education and referrals to clients.
难民重新安置办公室是新抵达难民的第一个联系点，在帮助难民适应和融入美国生活方面发挥着重要作用。现有文献表明，难民妇女容易出现不良性健康和生殖健康（SRH）结果，包括性传播感染和艾滋病毒感染以及不良妊娠结局，但对于难民重新安置办公室在支持难民妇女 SRH 方面所扮演的角色知之甚少。本研究考察了重新安置办公室提供 SRH 信息和转介给新抵达难民的能力和兴趣。
研究团队于 2018 年对美国各地难民重新安置办公室的工作人员进行了在线调查，以确定（1）现有的 SRH 资源和研讨会；（2）转介和协助预约 SRH 和初级保健预约；（3）解决客户 SRH 需求的障碍；（4）对增强办公室工作人员处理 SRH 问题的能力的兴趣。该调查是为这项研究而创建的，以前没有使用过或验证过。调查数据进行了描述性分析。共联系了 236 个重新安置办公室，有 100 个办公室做出了回应，回应率为 42%。对调查做出回应的难民重新安置机构（RRAs）中，15%（N=15）向客户提供有关 SRH 的材料，49%（N=49）将性健康纳入他们向新抵达的难民客户提供的课程中。此外，12%（N=12）的回应 RRAs 对客户进行妊娠意图筛查，20%（N=20）直接转介到避孕护理和服务。本研究受到调查回应率的限制；不能对未做出回应的办公室得出任何结论。此外，该调查工具未经任何其他有关难民重新安置办公室实践信息来源的验证。
在这项研究中，我们观察到许多重新安置办公室没有例行提供 SRH 需求的信息或转介。回应的办公室指出，缺乏时间和竞争优先事项是向客户提供 SRH 教育和转介的主要障碍。
