A Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Social Participation and Mental Health among Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Maria Niemi, Hélio Manhica, David Gunnarsson, Göran Ståhle, Sofia Larsson and Fredrik Saboonchi
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Maria Niemi: Department of Public Health Science, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 1E, 104 31 Stockholm, Sweden
Hélio Manhica: Department of Public Health Science, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 1E, 104 31 Stockholm, Sweden
David Gunnarsson: School of Historical and Contemporary Studies, Södertörn University, Alfred Nobels Allée 7, 141 89 Huddinge, Sweden
Göran Ståhle: School of Historical and Contemporary Studies, Södertörn University, Alfred Nobels Allée 7, 141 89 Huddinge, Sweden
Sofia Larsson: Department of Health Sciences, Swedish Red Cross University College, Hälsovägen 11, 141 57 Huddinge, Sweden
Fredrik Saboonchi: Department of Health Sciences, Swedish Red Cross University College, Hälsovägen 11, 141 57 Huddinge, Sweden

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-27

Abstract: Social participation plays a key role in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers into their host societies, and is also closely tied to the mental health of those populations. The aim of this scoping review was to study how the concept of social participation is described in empirical research, and how it is associated with mental health outcomes. Methods: In total, 64 studies were identified through searches in PubMed, PsycInfo, and Sociological Abstracts. These studies describe various forms of social participation among refugees and asylum seekers, and 33 of them also addressed various forms of mental health outcomes. Results: The identified studies described forms and conditions of social participation—both in the host country and transnationally—that could be synthesized into three broad dimensions: (1) Regulatory frameworks, conditions and initiatives; (2) Established societal organizations and social structures; and (3) Community organized groups. Each of these consisted of several sub-domains. The identified dimensions of social participation were also associated with psychosocial well-being and decreased psychological distress. Conclusions: There is a need for policies to enable and support the participation of refugees and asylum seekers in various dimensions of social structures in host societies. Social participation enhances resilience, re-establishes social lives, and acts as a protective factor against poor mental health outcomes.

Keywords: social participation; dimension; mental health; refugees and asylum seekers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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