Khan Bushra M, Waserman Jordana, Patel Mitesh
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Jun 6;13:917200. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.917200. eCollection 2022.
Homeless refugee youth experience high rates of traumatic and adverse experiences, a significant burden of mental health needs, and compounded barriers in accessing support services. Despite this, there is a paucity of literature exploring the unique intersections and vulnerabilities faced by this subgroup. This study of Youth Without Shelter (YWS), an emergency residence and referral agency serving homeless youth in Toronto, Canada was a qualitative study of homeless refugee youth. Research goals were to describe the mental health needs and identify the factors contributing to the resiliency of refugee youth experiencing homelessness. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews with YWS youth ( = 6) and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis with a realist lens. Results highlighted that the mental health of refugee youth experiencing homelessness was subject to system-level factors such as the immigration process ( = 6), housing insecurity ( = 5), finances ( = 5), education ( = 6), employment ( = 6) and sense of safety ( = 4), with acculturative stress, including culture shock ( = 3) and language ( = 4), also have negative effects. Goal directedness ( = 5), independence or responsibility ( = 4), and nurturing social connectedness with family ( = 5), peers ( = 6), and community ( = 4) contributed to participants' resilience. A model for planning future interventions was proposed and was informed by the lived experience of participants. This model focuses on initially on immediate and basic needs and reflected evidence gathered through this work to attend to long-term needs once individuals have integrated into society. Future efforts will be directed toward translating the lived experience of this population and developing practice guidelines to optimize care.
无家可归的难民青年经历了高比例的创伤性和不良经历，有着巨大的心理健康需求负担，并且在获得支持服务方面面临多重障碍。尽管如此，探索这一亚群体所面临的独特交叉点和脆弱性的文献却很匮乏。这项针对“无家可归青年”（YWS）的研究是一项对无家可归难民青年的定性研究。YWS是加拿大多伦多一家为无家可归青年提供紧急住所和转介服务的机构。研究目标是描述心理健康需求，并确定有助于经历无家可归的难民青年恢复力的因素。数据通过对YWS青年（n = 6）进行的个人半结构化访谈收集，并采用带有现实主义视角的归纳主题分析法进行分析。结果强调，经历无家可归的难民青年的心理健康受到系统层面因素的影响，如移民过程（n = 6）、住房不安全（n = 5）、财务状况（n = 5）、教育（n = 6）、就业（n = 6）和安全感（n = 4），文化适应压力，包括文化冲击（n = 3）和语言（n = 4）也有负面影响。目标导向性（n = 5）、独立或责任感（n = 4）以及与家庭（n = 5）、同龄人（n = 6）和社区（n = 4）建立滋养性的社会联系有助于参与者的恢复力。提出了一个规划未来干预措施的模型，该模型以参与者的生活经历为依据。该模型最初侧重于即时和基本需求，并反映了通过这项工作收集的证据，以便在个人融入社会后关注长期需求。未来的努力将致力于转化这一群体的生活经历，并制定实践指南以优化护理。
