Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing in Multicultural Australia: A Collaborative Regional Approach

Ilse Blignault, Hend Saab, Lisa Woodland, Klara Giourgas and Heba Baddah
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Ilse Blignault: Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith 2751, Australia
Hend Saab: South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Multicultural Health Service, Darlinghurst 2010, Australia
Lisa Woodland: South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Population and Community Health, Darlinghurst 2010, Australia
Klara Giourgas: South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Multicultural Health Service, Darlinghurst 2010, Australia
Heba Baddah: South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Multicultural Health Service, Darlinghurst 2010, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: Migrant communities are often under-served by mental health services. Lack of community engagement results in missed opportunities for mental health promotion and early intervention, delayed care, and high rates of untreated psychological distress. Bilingual clinicians and others who work with these communities lack linguistically and culturally appropriate resources. This article reports on the implementation and evaluation of a community-based group mindfulness program delivered to Arabic and Bangla-speaking communities in Sydney, Australia, including modifications made to the content and format in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was positioned within a stepped-care model for primary mental health care and adopted a collaborative regional approach. In addition to improved mental health outcomes for face-to-face and online program participants, we have documented numerous referrals to specialist services and extensive diffusion of mindfulness skills, mostly to family members, within each community. Community partnerships were critical to community engagement. Training workshops to build the skills of the bilingual health and community workforce increased the program’s reach. In immigrant nations such as Australia, mainstream mental health promotion must be complemented by activities that target specific population groups. Scaled up, and with appropriate adaptation, the group mindfulness program offers a low-intensity in-language intervention for under-served communities.

Keywords: mindfulness-based intervention; stress management; mental health promotion; stepped care model; evaluation; migrant; Arabic speakers; Bangla speakers; Muslim; cultural adaptation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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