Kurdish Refugee Beliefs about Mental Health and Help-Seeking: A Community-Engaged Research Study in Tennessee

Leah S. Branam (), Ismail Yigit, Sipal Haji, Jennifer Clark and Jessica M. Perkins
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Leah S. Branam: Department of Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Pl, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
Ismail Yigit: Department of Sociology, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A Merritt Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
Sipal Haji: Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville, 2806 McGavock Pk, Nashville, TN 37214, USA
Jennifer Clark: Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville, 2806 McGavock Pk, Nashville, TN 37214, USA
Jessica M. Perkins: Department of Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Pl, Nashville, TN 37203, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Refugee populations exhibit high rates of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, but are less likely to receive care than the general population. Perceptions among the Kurdish refugee community about causes and consequences of mental illness symptoms and perceived barriers to help-seeking are understudied. This community-engaged research study conducted in-depth interviews with Kurdish refugees from Iraq to explore their beliefs about drivers of mental illness and seeking help for mental health. Iterative thematic analysis of transcripts from ten participants indicated four key themes: (1) social network loss due to resettlement causes poor mental health; (2) socioeconomic status loss due to unrecognized professional qualifications puts strain on mental health; (3) social stigma about mental health and fears about disclosure of mental health issues within community and subsequent negative gossip prevent help-seeking; and (4) social interaction may alleviate mental illness symptoms. Overall, Kurdish refugees perceived social factors as major drivers of mental illness symptoms and barriers to help-seeking in their community. However, while participants believed that the general community attitude was against help-seeking, most participants personally expressed support of anyone in their community needing to see a mental health professional. Future research should assess the extent to which perceived community norms differ from aggregated personal help-seeking attitudes and behaviors among Kurdish refugees from Iraq in the United States.

Keywords: refugees; mental health; community-engaged research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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