Changes in mental health status amongst children of migrants to Australia: a longitudinal study

Abstract This paper examines the mental wellbeing of children of Australian migrants. Migration can be viewed as a natural experiment in which persons of one culture have their beliefs, values and behaviours challenged by the host culture. Such a process could be expected to lead to impaired mental health amongst migrants and their children. This paper investigates the relationship between migrants’ region of origin, length of stay in Australia and indicators of impaired mental health. The data were taken from the Mater‐University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a longitudinal study of mothers and children which started in Brisbane, Australia, in 1981. The study comprises a cohort of over 5,000 women interviewed at their first ante‐natal clinic visit and followed up at 3–5 days, six months, 5 and 14 years after the baby was born. Results showed no significant differences between the mental health of ‘second generation’ children and their Australian counterparts. Length of stay in Australia was not associated with internalising symptoms (anxiety and depression). There was a positive association, however, between the length of stay in Australia and increased externalising problems (aggression and delinquency) amongst the children at both 5‐ and 14‐years follow‐up. We conclude that children of migrants do not differ from comparable children of Australian‐born parents in their mental health. Children of migrant parents have fewer symptoms of some behaviour problems in the years after their arrival in Australia, but these rates increase to the Australian level over time.     

Social isolation,loneliness and health in old age: a scoping review

The health and well‐being consequences of social isolation and loneliness in old age are increasingly being recognised. The purpose of this scoping review was to take stock of the available evidence and to highlight gaps and areas for future research. We searched nine databases for empirical papers investigating the impact of social isolation and/or loneliness on a range of health outcomes in old age. Our search, conducted between July and September 2013 yielded 11,736 articles, of which 128 items from 15 countries were included in the scoping review. Papers were reviewed, with a focus on the definitions and measurements of the two concepts, associations and causal mechanisms, differences across population groups and interventions. The evidence is largely US‐focused, and loneliness is more researched than social isolation. A recent trend is the investigation of the comparative effects of social isolation and loneliness. Depression and cardiovascular health are the most often researched outcomes, followed by well‐being. Almost all (but two) studies found a detrimental effect of isolation or loneliness on health. However, causal links and mechanisms are difficult to demonstrate, and further investigation is warranted. We found a paucity of research focusing on at‐risk sub‐groups and in the area of interventions. Future research should aim to better link the evidence on the risk factors for loneliness and social isolation and the evidence on their impact on health.     

Day care, maternal mental health and child development: evidence from a longitudinal study

Data from a long-term follow-up study of 632 born in Calgary in 1980 are reported, with particular reference to the experience of day care and its association with parental factors and the children's adjustment when they were, on average 6#lb7 years old. The sample was specially selected to include a high proportion of children with serious disabilities, and data for these children have been considered separately. Children with several years of day care behind them did not display attachment problems when they entered elementary schooling. They were however more active and aggressive than children without day care experience. This activity pattern is associated with Type A behaviour, which represents busy, active, competitive children. These traits probably reflect parental ambitions and activity patterns. Mothers who stayed home to look after several children were much more likely to be seriously depressed than mothers who returned to the external labour force in their child's preschool years. Maternal depression was associated with neurosis and depression in the child. This study gives support to the idea that high quality, affordable and universally available day care would be supportive of parental child care roles. Several sub-types of adaptation and day care experience have been identified, and hypotheses for exploration in a longer term study are suggested.     

Enhancing social networks: a qualitative study of health and social care practice in UK mental health services

People with severe mental health problems such as psychosis have access to less social capital, defined as resources within social networks, than members of the general population. However, a lack of theoretically and empirically informed models hampers the development of social interventions which seek to enhance an individual's social networks. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study, which used ethnographic field methods in six sites in England to investigate how workers helped people recovering from psychosis to enhance their social networks. This study drew upon practice wisdom and lived experience to provide data for intervention modelling. Data were collected from 73 practitioners and 51 people who used their services in two phases. Data were selected and coded using a grounded theory approach to depict the key themes that appeared to underpin the generation of social capital within networks. Findings are presented in four over‐arching themes – worker skills, attitudes and roles; connecting people processes; role of the agency; and barriers to network development. The sub‐themes which were identified included worker attitudes; person‐centred approach; equality of worker–individual relationship; goal setting; creating new networks and relationships; engagement through activities; practical support; existing relationships; the individual taking responsibility; identifying and overcoming barriers; and moving on. Themes were consistent with recovery models used within mental health services and will provide the basis for the development of an intervention model to enhance individuals’ access to social capital within networks.     

宝鸡市农村留守儿童孤独感与心理健康状况调查

目的 探讨农村留守儿童的孤独感状况和心理健康水平, 为针对性心理健康教育提供依据。方法 采用分层整群随机抽样方法抽取宝鸡市农村618名儿童, 使用儿童孤独感量表(Children's Loneliness Scale, CLS)和中国中学生心理健康量表(Chinese Middle School Student Mental Health Scale, MSSMHS)对其进行孤独感和心理健康状况调查。结果 留守儿童孤独感的发生率为85.64%, 非留守儿童为68.22%, 留守儿童的孤独感发生率明显高于非留守儿童(P＜0.01);性别和父母外出情况对农村留守儿童孤独感的影响有统计学意义(P＜0.05);留守儿童MSSMHS中的强迫、偏执、敌对、人际关系、适应不良、心理不平衡6个因子及总分高于非留守儿童(P＜0.01);儿童孤独感与心理健康的各因子均呈现正相关。结论 农村留守儿童的孤独感和心理健康水平堪忧。     

Reporting mental health problems of undocumented migrants in Greece: A qualitative exploration

Background: Mental health problems are highly prevalent amongst undocumented migrants (UMs), and often part of their consultations with general practitioners (GPs). Little empirical data are available of how GPs and UMs engage around mental health in Greece, a country with a lack of balance between primary and secondary care and limited healthcare provisions for UMs.

Objectives: To acquire insight in the barriers and levers in the provision of mental healthcare for UMs by GPs in Greece.

Methods: This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 12 GPs in Crete, Greece with clinical expertise in the care of UMs. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim and were analysed using thematic content analysis.

Results: Greek GPs recognized many mental health problems in UMs and identified the barriers that prevented them from discussing these problems and delivering appropriate care: growing societal resistance towards UMs, budget cuts in healthcare, administrative obstacles and lack of support from the healthcare system. To overcome these barriers, Greek GPs provided UMs with free access to care and psychotropic drugs free of charge, and referred to other primary care professionals rather than to mental healthcare institutions.

Conclusion: Greek GPs experienced substantial barriers in the provision of mental healthcare to UMs and political, economic and organizational factors played a major role.     

宁夏南部山区生态移民心理健康状况的比较研究

目的探讨生态移民心理健康水平随移居时间的变化情况。方法采用多级整群抽样的方法抽取≥16岁移民223人,利用症状自评量表测定移民心理健康状况,比较移民在不同时期心理健康水平。结果移民在搬迁后不同时期内,在强迫症状、人际敏感、抑郁、焦虑、敌对和精神病性等因子得分有明显不同(P0.05),在移居6个月时,上述因子得分最高,移居18个月后,各因子得分逐渐接近移民前。在移居后一年内,发生心理障碍者所占比例高于移民前(P0.05)。结论移民在迁入移居地初期心理水平变化较大,随着在移居地居住时间的延长,其心理健康水平有逐步回归的趋势。     

Migration processes and self-rated health among marriage migrants in South Korea

Background. Research on migrant health mostly examines labor migrants, with some attention paid to the trauma faced by refugees. Marriage migrants represent an understudied vulnerable population in the migration and health literature.

Objectives. Drawing on a Social Determinants of Health (SDH) approach, we use a large Korean national survey and stratified multivariate regressions to examine the link between migration processes and the self-rated health of Korea's three largest ethnic groups of marriage migrants: Korean-Chinese, Vietnamese, and Han Chinese.

Results. We find that post-migration socioeconomic status and several social integration factors are associated with the health of marriage migrants of all three groups. Specifically, having more social relationships with Koreans is associated with good health among marriage migrants, while having more social relationships with co-ethnics is associated with worse health. Marriage migrants' perceived social status of their natal and marital families is a better predictor of their health than more objective measures such as their education attainment and that of their Korean husbands. The post-migration social gradients among all ethnic groups demonstrate a dose-response effect of marital family's social standing on marriage migrants' health, independent of their own education and the social standing of their natal families. Lastly, we find some ethnicity-specific predictors such as the association between higher educational level and worse health status among the Vietnamese. This variability by group suggests a more complex set of SDH occurred during the marriage migration processes than a basic SDH framework would predict.

Conclusion. Using a new immigrant destination, South Korea, as an example, we conclude that migration and health policies that reduce ethnicity-specific barriers and offer integration programs in early post-migration stages may offer a pathway to good health among marriage migrants.     

Lonely ageing in a foreign land: Social isolation and loneliness among older Asian migrants in New Zealand

Ageing does not reduce people's need to connect with family members, friends, and acquaintances, and neither does migration. For those older migrants living in a foreign land, connectedness with others plays a particularly important role in achieving a sense of belonging and sustaining their health and well‐being. This paper explores the issues of social isolation and loneliness among older Asian migrants in New Zealand. Data were collected from in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with Chinese‐ or Korean‐speaking migrants aged between 75 and 84 years (n = 10: all females), and from three focus groups consisting of Chinese‐ and Korean‐speaking migrants (n = 10: 7 females, 3 males) and Chinese professionals (n = 5: 3 females, 2 males) between June 2016 and December 2016. The qualitative data obtained were analysed applying a thematic analysis approach using NVivo software for group analysis by a multidisciplinary research team. The findings from the study show that older Asian migrants experienced high levels of isolation and loneliness at least at some points in their migrant lives. Most participants in this study were living alone or with only their spouse, and this living arrangement was likely to provide fertile ground for isolation and loneliness to grow in the context of later‐life migration. It was also observed that their lonely ageing ironically resulted from their efforts to preserve family relationships through avoiding being a burden, while allowing them a sort of space to maintain now barely connected lives. The participants revealed multiple ways of coping with lonely and isolated experiences in their limited social network, and these individual strategies allow us to make suggestions about how best to reduce older migrants’ social isolation and loneliness in the New Zealand context and beyond.     

Staff shortages in the mental health workforce: the case of the disappearing approved social worker

Approved social worker (ASW) numbers in England and Wales were compared on the basis of two national surveys conducted in 1992 and 2002. These data were supplemented by reports published by the Employers' Organisation in the intervening years. Although raw numbers suggested a modest absolute increase over this time, rates of ASW's per 100,000 population declined by over 50%. Possible explanations for this dramatic fall are explored. The authors conclude that specific and targeted action needs to be taken by the government and public sector employers to determine the numbers of mental health social workers needed in modernised community mental health services.     

Quality assurance in mental health-care: a case study from social work

The quality of health and social care is now a high priority for government, professionals, and the public. This is particularly true of mental health, where explicit standards lie at the centre of current policy, demanding the development of reliable means for quality assurance. These need to allow for the multiplicity of stakeholders in mental health-care, and their different constructions of "quality". The challenges presented are illustrated by this account of an action research programme, which was developed to improve social work practice in a multidisciplinary mental health service, and evaluated using a case study design. An action research approach was chosen in preference to an "off-the-shelf" quality assurance system, because it possessed features that appeared to match the context of the work. It involved feeding back the findings of a baseline assessment of service quality to four teams of social workers, who used the information to select priority areas for improvement. An action plan was developed with them, and its implementation and impact were examined. Substantial improvements were observed in only one of the chosen target areas--the quality of case recording. For the other--securing the clients' full involvement in their care plan--very limited improvements occurred. Interview data suggested that this was due to the presence of extensive organisational support for the first objective, but not the second. These findings suggest that while some features of action research can contribute to quality improvement, these must be incorporated into a more comprehensive programme of change, which commands the support of all the stakeholders involved.     

社会融合对流动老人基本公共卫生服务利用的影响研究

目的 了解流动老人基本公共卫生服务利用情况,以及社会融合对基本公共卫生服务利用的影响。方法 于2021年7—12月,采用方便抽样的方法,抽取广州市、深圳市、江门市452名流动老人进行问卷调查。采用二元logistic回归模型分析流动老人社会融合对建立健康档案、接受健康教育和老年人健康管理之间的影响。结果 在452名流动老人中,60.8%建立了居民健康档案,接受过健康教育和老年人健康管理的分别有64.4%和60.0%。Logistic分析结果显示,流动老人的居民健康档案行为受到月消费水平（B = 0.368,P＜0.05）、社区文体活动参与程度（B = 0.362,P＜0.01）、居留意愿（B = 0.408,P＜0.001）、年龄（B = - 0. 513,P＜0.01）、户籍类型（B = 0.742,P＜0.01）、流动类型（B = - 0.539,P＜0.05）等变量的影响;健康教育服务利用行为受到社区文体活动参与程度（B = 0.354,P＜0.01）、年龄（B = - 0.411,P＜0.05）、户籍类型（B = 0.561,P＜0.05）的影响;老年人健康管理服务利用行为受到社区文体活动参与程度（B = 0.291,P＜0.01）、居留意愿（B = 0.239,P＜0.05）、年龄（B = - 0.474,P＜0.05）、流动类型（B = - 0.471,P＜0.05）、流动时间（B = 0.225,P＜0.05）、流动目的（B = 0.328,P＜0.01）的影响。结论 流动老人基本公共卫生服务利用率较低,社会融合会对流动老人的基本公共卫生服务利用产生积极影响。可以通过提高流动老人获得基本公共卫生服务的能力和社会融合水平来促进流动老人的基本公共卫生服务利用,从而实现基本公共服务均等化。     

三峡库区农村移民心理健康与社会支持关系

目的 了解三峡移民心理健康、社会支持状况及其相互关系。方法 使用症状自评量表(SCL-90)和社会支持评定量表对三峡库区外迁山东省的320名农村居民和320名当地居民进行调查。结果 (1)三峡移民SCL-90总分及各因子分均显著高于当地居民;按任意因子分≥2为标准,三峡移民阳性筛查率为40.3%;(2)三峡移民主观支持、客观支持、支持利用度及社会支持总分均显著低于当地居民得分和移民前得分(P<0.001)。(3)三峡移民SCL-90阳性组的客观支持、支持利用度以及社会支持总分得分显著低于阴性组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);相关分析显示,三峡移民社会支持利用度与SCL-90各项因子及总分均呈负相关(P<0.05)。结论 三峡移民社会支持利用度及总分均低于当地居民,应做好三峡移民心理卫生工作。     

Tackling community integration in mental health home visit integration in Finland

Integration – and its synonym inclusion – is emphasised in the western welfare states and in the European Union in particular. Integration is also a central topic in the social sciences and in current mental health and homelessness research and practice. As mental healthcare has shifted from psychiatric hospitals to the community, it has inevitably become involved with housing and integration issues. This article explores how community integration is understood and tackled in mental health floating support services (FSSs) and, more precisely, in service user–practitioner home visit interaction. The aim, through shedding light on how the idea of integration is present and discussed in front‐line mental health practices, is to offer a ‘template’ on how we might, in a systematic and reflective way, develop community integration research and practice. The analysis is based on ethnomethodological and micro‐sociological interaction research. The research settings are two FSSs located in a large Finnish city. The data contain 24 audio‐recorded and transcribed home visits conducted in 2011 and 2012 with 16 different service users. The study shows how the participants in service user–practitioner interaction give meaning to community integration and make decisions about how it should (or should not) be enhanced in each individual case. This activity is called community integration work in action. Community integration work in action is based on various dimensions of integration: getting out of the house, participating in group activities and getting along with those involved in one's life and working life. Additionally, the analysis demonstrates how community integration work is accomplished by discursive devices (resistance, positioning, excuses and justifications, delicacy and advice‐giving). The article concludes that community integration is about interaction: it is not only service users' individual challenge but also a social challenge, our challenge.     

Promoting social capital to alleviate loneliness and improve health among older people in Spain

Loneliness is especially frequent among older people in Southern Europe. Furthermore, promoting social capital to tackle loneliness and its health effects is an understudied intervention strategy. Therefore, a complex intervention was piloted in Spain in a pre–post study with a 2‐year follow‐up. Its aims were to explore the feasibility of the intervention and its short‐ and long‐term effects. It was conducted in one mixed rural–urban and two urban areas of diverse socioeconomic levels from 2011 to 2012. The intervention framework was based on social capital theory applying a behaviour change model and care co‐ordination. The intervention comprised: (i) a co‐ordinated action aimed at building a network between primary healthcare centres and community assets in the neighbourhood and (ii) a group‐based programme, which promoted social capital among lonely older people, especially social support and participation. Older people active in senior centres volunteered as gatekeepers. The main outcome domain was loneliness. Secondary outcome domains were participation, social support, self‐perceived health, quality of life, depressive symptoms and use of health resources. Pre–post changes were assessed with t‐test, Wilcoxon signed‐rank test and McNemar's test. Differences between the three time points were assessed with a one‐way ANOVA with repeated measures. Social workers and nurses were successfully involved as group leaders, 10 volunteers took part and 38 participants were included. After the intervention, loneliness decreased while social participation and support significantly increased. Furthermore, the number of visits to nurses increased. Exactly 65.8% of the participants built social contacts within the group and 47.4% became engaged in new activities. Two years later, social effects were maintained and depressive symptoms had decreased. Exactly 44.7% of the participants continued to be in contact with at least one person from the group and 39.5% continued participating. The intervention contributes a novel and feasible social capital‐based approach for alleviating loneliness among older adults while prompting meaningful changes in their lives.     

小学生心理健康与社会支持调查

目的了解小学生心理健康与社会支持情况,为有效提高小学生心理健康水平提供参考。方法采用分层整群随机抽样方法,对调查对象进行问卷调查。结果 31.10%的调查对象自我意识水平在正常范围,49.70%自我意识水平过高,19.20%自我意识水平过低。自我意识量表总分均值和全国常模差异没有统计学意义。农村调查样本的客观支持及社会支持总分显著低于城市;在小学生社会支持系统中,父母影响占31.62%,老师影响占15.31%,家人影响合计占54.26%。结论小学生自我评价过高即自负,这种心理对孩子的成长极为不利,应予重视;小学生社会支持系统中,父母影响最大。     

大学生社交焦虑与压力和心理健康的关系

目的探讨大学生社交焦虑对压力源和心理健康关系的影响。方法选用经修订后的青少年生活事件量表(ASLEC)、社交焦虑量表和一般心理健康问卷(GHQ12),对1430名大学生进行调查。结果(1)社交焦虑对大学生压力源与心理健康之间的关系起部分中介作用。(2)女大学生更容易受丧失压力和人际关系压力的影响。(3)非独生子女比独生子女大学生的社交焦虑感更高,心理健康水平更差。结论对大学生的社交焦虑进行测查和干预有助于缓解大学生面对的生活事件压力,提高心理健康水平。     

Separation from family and its impact on the mental health of Sudanese refugees in Australia: a qualitative study

Objective : This study explored the impact of separation from family members on the mental health and wellbeing of Sudanese refugees in Australia, and the coping strategies used. Methods : In‐depth interviews were conducted with Sudanese community representatives and health workers, primary and mental health care practitioners, health service managers and policy makers. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results : Separation was perceived as having a negative impact on the mental health of Sudanese refugees in Australia, and manifested in concern about the safety of relatives abroad and in changing roles. The pressure to send money home emerged as a high priority for Sudanese refugees, often superseding local concerns. Several strategies were used to bridge the separation gap, including maintaining contact through the use of information communication technologies, and family‐reunification. Conclusions : Separation from family can be an ongoing source of stress and sadness among refugees in countries such as Australia. While resettling refugees are actively taking steps to cope with the impact of separation, awareness of the issue in mainstream services appears to be low. Implications : Separation from family continues to affect refugees’ lives in countries of resettlement. While it may be difficult to alter the course of the monumental circumstances that cause forced migration, service providers can support refugees’ coping abilities by understanding these global‐local intersections.