Kaki Dahlia A, Bridi Lana, Mwendwa Purity, Aso Maryam, Behnam Rawnaq, Bencheikh Nissma, Albahsahli Behnan, Khan Xara, Aljenabi Raghad, Sideman Alissa Bernstein, Moore Alison, Al-Rousan Tala
University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2025 Mar;38(2):132-142. doi: 10.1177/08919887241280891. Epub 2024 Sep 3.
Forced migration results in exposure to trauma, interrupted access to healthcare, and loss of social support and may increase dementia risk. Literature on refugees' knowledge of dementia and its risk factors is scant. This study investigates refugee perspectives on dementia and their access to cognitive healthcare in the United States (US).
We conducted 6 focus groups and 30 individual in-depth interviews (total of 69 participants) with Arab, African, and Afghan refugees resettled in San Diego, California. Data was coded using inductive thematic analysis.
Organized by the socioecological model of health, the following themes emerged: (1) mental trauma due to migration was linked to dementia (individual); (2) fear of dementia and burdening caregivers due to limited support systems (interpersonal); (3) reliance on for dementia information and the stress of increasing dementia risk (community); (4) healthcare providers, both in the US and in refugee camps, didn't address cognitive health concerns (institutions); and (5) discriminatory immigration and healthcare policies as barriers to healthy aging (policy).
Despite being a heterogeneous group, refugees share specific experiences, knowledge gaps, and barriers to healthy aging. Tailored interventions and policies are needed to address this population's cognitive health needs. This includes addressing their mental health and social support concerns as well as training clinicians to screen for/discuss dementia with aging refugee patients.
被迫迁移会导致遭受创伤、医疗保健中断以及社会支持丧失，可能会增加患痴呆症的风险。关于难民对痴呆症及其风险因素的了解的文献很少。本研究调查了美国难民对痴呆症的看法以及他们获得认知医疗保健的情况。
我们对定居在加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥的阿拉伯、非洲和阿富汗难民进行了6次焦点小组讨论和30次个人深度访谈（共69名参与者）。使用归纳主题分析法对数据进行编码。
按照健康的社会生态模型进行组织，出现了以下主题：（1）迁移导致的精神创伤与痴呆症有关（个体）；（2）由于支持系统有限，对痴呆症的恐惧以及给照顾者带来的负担（人际）；（3）依赖[此处原文缺失相关内容]获取痴呆症信息以及[此处原文缺失相关内容]增加痴呆症风险的压力（社区）；（4）美国和难民营中的医疗保健提供者没有解决认知健康问题（机构）；以及（5）歧视性的移民和医疗保健政策是健康老龄化的障碍（政策）。
尽管难民是一个多样化的群体，但他们在健康老龄化方面有着特定的经历、知识差距和障碍。需要有针对性的干预措施和政策来满足这一人群的认知健康需求。这包括解决他们的心理健康和社会支持问题，以及培训临床医生对老年难民患者进行痴呆症筛查/讨论。
