Previous experience of violence and other traumata as well as post-migration stressors affect the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers. There is a fundamental gap between mental health needs and care utilization. To address this gap, it is important to understand the perceived access barriers to mental health care among refugees and asylum seekers. This review analyzed the barriers using Penchansky and Thomas’ (1981) concept of access.
Data presented in this report are drawn from a larger project investigating the health and welfare of Australia’s refugee and humanitarian entrant populations (AIHW 2023a). This larger project was funded by the Department of Home Affairs and involved linking the Settlement Database (Department of Home Affairs 2019) with other datasets available in the Person-level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA); formally known as the Multi Agency Data Integration Project (MADIP) (ABS n.d.). Linking the Settlement Database to the PLIDA enabled the identification and analysis of migrant status for deidentified individuals appearing within other PLIDA datasets
Hazara refugees are highly vulnerable to trauma and other mental health challenges due to sustained ethnic and religious persecution. This review provides a critical overview of the mental health and wellbeing experiences of Hazara refugees in Australia and provides important recommendations for researchers and practitioners working with this population.
Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. Lifeline can also be accessed by phone at 13 11 14.
A Community Engagement Framework was developed through the Diverse Communities project to establish a model for engaging refugee and asylum seeker background communities into the mental health reforms. It outlines principles, key considerations, and strategies to facilitate meaningful engagement among these communities.
