Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care

Evidence-Based Practice 11-2

A Family Strengthening Intervention for Refugees

healthcare altogether if female care providers are not available. Healthcare providers must be knowledgeable about the refugees’ or immi grants’ experiences and background, cultural and social factors, and other unique aspects of the population they serve. Refugees and new immigrants need access to language-appropriate and culturally relevant healthcare. Many refu gees from community-oriented societies may prefer to receive such information in a group or social setting rather than a one-to-one basis that is common in many U.S. healthcare settings. For many refugee and/or immigrant communities, churches, mosques, and synagogues are appro priate settings for health education. Health fairs sponsored by community nurses and held within This community-based participatory mixed method study examined outcomes from The Family Strengthening Intervention for Refugees program. This peer-delivered preventative home visiting program was designed to improve family commu nication, positive parenting, and caregiver–child relationships with the goal of reducing children’s risk of mental health problems. The intervention study was carried out in New England, with 40 resettled Bhutanese and Somali Bantu refugee families. The evidenced-based intervention included five components: 1. Psychoeducation: self-regulation strategies for children and caregivers 2. Family narrative to identify strengths and build sense of future 3. Positive parenting 4. Resource navigation for formal and nonformal supports 5. Positive parenting skills, alternative to violence, and family problem-solving skills Results of this community-based participatory research study found positive patterns in improved parenting skills and child mental health. The parents described meaningful change from participation in

the refugee or immigrant communities have been very successful. Often, health fairs have been cosponsored by churches that serve immi grant or refugee communities. Refugee women may have experienced gender based violence (GBV) including torture, rape, and human rights abuses. Nurses and other health professionals, especially women physicians and nurses, must learn sensitive ways of broaching these subjects and helping refugee women access culturally appropriate care. Clinicians must be cognizant to design programs that address chal lenges in healthcare access, delivery of services in appropriate dialect, and provision of culturally sensitive healthcare for women who have experi enced GBV. Reference: Neville, S. E., DiClemente-Bosco, K., Chamlagai, L.K., Bunn, M., Freeman, J., Berent, J. M., Gautam B., Abdi, A., & Betancourt, T. S. (2022). Investigating outcomes of a fam ily strengthening intervention or resettled Somali Bantu and Bhutanese refugees: An explanatory sequential mixed meth ods study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 , 12415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph191912415 the program in both their parenting skills and their children’s responses. In addition, those who par ticipated in the program reported improvements in depression and PTSD symptoms. Clinical Implications ●● As the refugee crisis continues to grow globally, nurses should be aware of the toll of migration and resettlement on the mental health of family members, including children. ●● Interventions should be culturally tailored for dif ferent refugee populations and incorporate cul tural values, beliefs, and practices. ●● Members of the refugee community should be included in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of studies.

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