Multicultural Perspectives on Health and Wellbeing/Refugee health



A comprehensive understanding of refugee health incorporates an examination of effects of individuals’ pre-arrival experiences, the Australian refugee determination process and settlement in Australia. Refugees’ pre-settlement experiences include serious threats to safety, trauma and the loss of family and home. Australian refugee policy also has strong impacts on the mental and physical health of refugees. Long periods of immigration detention and processing times have been demonstrated to compound the effects of previous trauma, while policy that denies some asylum seekers the right to work causes destitution and dependence among this population. The health effects of these experiences may be ongoing and compounded by social exclusion and difficulties in settling into a new and unfamiliar country. With complex and high levels of need, improving the health of refugees necessitates a holistic and collaborative approach between health care organisations and other service providers

Lecture
Refugee health

Activity
Workshop:
 * Review of lecture, "Refugee health"
 * Group work
 * Case studies
 * Online quiz
 * Overview of making a multimedia presentation

Resources

 * 1) Farley R, Askew D, Kay M. Caring for refugees in general practice: perspectives from the coalface. Australian Journal of Primary Health 2014; 20(1): 85-91.
 * 2) Nickerson A, Liddell BJ, Maccallum F, Steel Z, Silove D, Bryant RA. Posttraumatic stress disorder and prolonged grief in refugees exposed to trauma and loss. BMC Psychiatry 2014; 14: 11.
 * 3) Riggs E, Davis E, Gibbs L, et al. Accessing maternal and child health services in Melbourne, Australia: Reflections from refugee families and service providers. BMC Health Serv Res 2012; 12.
 * 4) Fozdar F. Social cohesion and skilled Muslim refugees in Australia: Employment, social capital and discrimination. J Sociol 2012; 48(2): 167-86.

Media

 * http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/apr/23/victorian-town-gets-41m-benefit-from-resettling-burmese-karen-refugees
 * http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33268521
 * http://m.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/06/22/economics-humanity-australia-stop-boats/
 * http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/06/19/interactive-worlds-changing-pattern-refugees-and-asylum-seekers
 * http://billkerr2.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/why-migration-is-fundamental-human-right.html?m=1

Websites

 * https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/asylum-seekers-and-refugees
 * http://www.yapa.org.au/openingdoors/index.php
 * http://www.roadtorefuge.com/

Videos
Refugee health - a video play list compiled by Sabrina Gupta

Notes and Recordings
Copies to the LMS after the event