Access to Refugee and Migrant Mental Health Care Services during the First Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Canadian Refugee Clinician Survey

Joseph Benjamen, Vincent Girard, Shabana Jamani, Olivia Magwood, Tim Holland, Nazia Sharfuddin and Kevin Pottie
Additional contact information
Joseph Benjamen: Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
Vincent Girard: Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
Shabana Jamani: Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
Olivia Magwood: C.T. Lamont Primary Care Research Centre, Bruyère Research Institute, 85 Primrose Ave, Ottawa, ON K1R 6M1, Canada
Tim Holland: Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton St, Suite 402, Halifax, NS B3J 3T4, Canada
Nazia Sharfuddin: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, 11350-83 Ave, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3, Canada
Kevin Pottie: C.T. Lamont Primary Care Research Centre, Bruyère Research Institute, 85 Primrose Ave, Ottawa, ON K1R 6M1, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-11

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of refugees and migrants. This study aimed to assess refugee clinician perspectives on mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically access to and delivery of community mental health care services. We utilized a mixed methods design. We surveyed members of a national network of Canadian clinicians caring for refugees and migrants. Seventy-seven clinicians with experience caring for refugee populations, representing an 84% response rate, participated in the online survey, 11 of whom also participated in semi-structured interviews. We report three major themes: exacerbation of mental health issues and inequities in social determinants of health, and decreased access to integrated primary care and community migrant services. Clinicians reported major challenges delivering care during the first 6 months of the pandemic related to access to care and providing virtual care. Clinicians described perspectives on improving the management of refugee mental health, including increasing access to community resources and virtual care. The majority of clinicians reported that technology-assisted psychotherapy appears feasible to arrange, acceptable and may increase health equity for their refugee patients. However, major limitations of virtual care included technological barriers, communication and global mental health issues, and privacy concerns. In summary, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated social and health inequities within refugee and migrant populations in Canada and challenged the way mental health care is traditionally delivered. However, the pandemic has provided new avenues for the delivery of care virtually, albeit not without additional and unique barriers.

Keywords: refugees and migrants; COVID-19; mental health services; common mental health disorders; virtual care; primary care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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