Accessibility and Perceived Impact of a Group Psychosocial Intervention for Women in Ecuador: A Comparative Analysis by Migration Status

Gabrielle Wimer (), Maria Larrea, Josefina Streeter, Amir Hassan, Alejandra Angulo, Andrea Armijos, Annie Bonz, Wietse A. Tol and M. Claire Greene
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Gabrielle Wimer: Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Maria Larrea: Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
Josefina Streeter: Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
Amir Hassan: Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Alejandra Angulo: HIAS, Silver Spring, MD 62471, USA
Andrea Armijos: HIAS, Silver Spring, MD 62471, USA
Annie Bonz: HIAS, Silver Spring, MD 62471, USA
Wietse A. Tol: Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1172 Copenhagen, Denmark
M. Claire Greene: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: There is increasing guidance promoting the provision of mental health and psychosocial support programs to both migrant and host community members in humanitarian settings. However, there is a lack of information on the respective experiences and benefits for migrant and host community members who are participating in mental health and psychosocial support programming. We evaluated a community-based psychosocial program for migrant and host community women, Entre Nosotras, which was implemented with an international non-governmental organization in Ecuador in 2021. Data on participant characteristics and psychosocial wellbeing were collected via pre/post surveys with 143 participants, and qualitative interviews were conducted with a subset ( n = 61) of participants. All quantitative analyses were conducted in STATA, and qualitative analysis was done in NVivo. Attendance was higher for host community members. Specifically, 71.4% of host community members attended 4–5 sessions, whereas only 37.4% of migrants attended 4–5 sessions ( p = 0.004). Qualitative analysis shows that the intervention was less accessible for migrants due to a variety of structural barriers. However, this analysis also demonstrated that both groups of women felt a greater sense of social connectedness after participating in the program and expressed gratitude for the bonds they formed with other women. Some migrant women described negative experiences with the host community because they felt as though they could not confide in host community women and speak freely in front of them. These results underscore how the migratory context influences the implementation of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programs. As humanitarian guidelines continue to emphasize the integration of host community members and displaced persons, it is critical to account for how the same intervention may impact these populations differently.

Keywords: migrant; host community; MHPSS; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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