Department of Psychology University of California-Davis Davis, California, USA.
Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California-Davis, Sacramento, California, USA.
Clin Gerontol. 2022 Jul-Sep;45(4):798-807. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2022.2071661. Epub 2022 Apr 29.
Most Vietnamese immigrants in the U.S. today arrived as political refugees due to the Vietnam War in the late 20 century. Refugees are disproportionally affected by health and mental health disparities as a result of experiencing distress and potentially traumatic experiences before, during, and after their migration processes. This study involved Vietnamese families facing dementia and used a qualitative approach to investigate participants' experiences before, during, and right after their resettlement in the U.S.
In-person interviews were conducted with 11 Vietnamese adults who cared for their family member with dementia. A descriptive analysis approach was used.
Five major themes emerged from the interviews:1) immigrating separately from family members, 2) difficult and unsafe journeys, 3) experiences of loss, 4) lack of support systems in the U.S., and 5) feelings of unhappiness, sadness, or signs of depression.
This study provides a close examination of Vietnamese refugees' unique backgrounds and how individuals with dementia and their caregivers from this population may be disproportionally impacted by stress.
To reduce health disparities, we recommend that providers and policymakers allocate more resources for culturally appropriate routine assessment, treatment, and referrals of those with dementia and their caregivers.
如今，大多数在美国的越南移民是在 20 世纪后期因越南战争而作为政治难民抵达的。由于在移民前、期间和之后经历了痛苦和潜在的创伤经历，难民不成比例地受到健康和心理健康差距的影响。本研究涉及面临痴呆症的越南家庭，并采用定性方法调查参与者在重新安置到美国之前、期间和之后的经历。
对 11 名照顾患有痴呆症的家庭成员的越南成年人进行了面对面访谈。采用描述性分析方法。
访谈中出现了五个主要主题：1）与家庭成员分开移民，2）艰难和不安全的旅程，3）失落的经历，4）在美国缺乏支持系统，5）不快乐、悲伤或抑郁的迹象。
本研究密切检查了越南难民的独特背景，以及来自该人群的痴呆症患者及其护理人员如何可能不成比例地受到压力的影响。
为了减少健康差距，我们建议提供者和政策制定者为那些患有痴呆症及其护理人员的文化适当的常规评估、治疗和转介分配更多资源。
