Health and Socio-cultural Needs of Iranian Asylum Seeker Women Living in Sydney, Australia
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2020
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๐๐ข๐ค๐ฌ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ:
Australia is known as a world leader for resettlement of asylum seekers and refugees; however, the country has recently introduced a number of legislative initiatives to deter illegal immigration, such as mandatory detention and temporary protection visas. Those who are released into the community remain in an insecure residency status for an undetermined period, often without permission to study and work. These legislations have affected Iranian asylum seekers who have entered Australia by boat since 13 August 2012, of which about half are women. Despite dramatic increase in the number of female asylum seekers in the recent years, they have remained understudied in health research.
๐๐ช๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ด:
This study aimed to explore health and socio-cultural needs of Iranian asylum seeker women living in Sydney, Australia and strategies that they develop to build resilience in the face of migration-related circumstances/stressors.
๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ด:
A narrative methodology was undertaken to explore experiences of 17 Iranian asylum seeker women who arrived in Australia by boat and were living in the community for two to three years awaiting a decision upon their refugee applications. The research methodology was informed by epistemology of constructivism and interpretivism. The resource-based model was used as the framework for designing the research including developing interview questions, data analysis, and discussion of the findings. The model provides an insight into the experiences of loss/gain of resources over forced migration and the impact of these losses/gains on the adaptation and wellbeing of refugees during pre-migration, transit, and post-migration phases. The participants shared their experiences of migration via in-depth semi-structured individual interviews. A thematic analysis was undertaken to construct meanings and knowledge out of the narratives.
๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด:
Three main themes emerged from the experiences of the participants. These themes included: 1) embarking on the perilous journey, 2) arrived, yet living in-between, and 3) building resilience. Embarking on the perilous journey described experiences of the participants prior to migration and in transit, which included their reasons for leaving home and losses incurred during transit. From these experiences the following subthemes emerged: disempowerment of women, sacrifice for family, loss of safety/security, and loss of control over circumstances. Arrived, yet living in-between described their post-migration experiences, including time in detention and living in the community. Participants shared their mixed feelings of living in a prison; yet, a safe place during detention. Their experiences of living in the community included insecure residency, cultural incongruity, and utilising healthcare services. Participants developed a number of coping strategies to help them build resilience towards the migration difficulties.
๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ค๐ญ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ:
Asylum seeker women are more likely to experience traumatic experiences pre-migration and during transit. Their post-migration experiences are impacted by resources they have lost pre-migration and during transit as well as adverse immigration policies, in particular insecure residency and unemployment, limiting asylum seekersโ capacity to invest on resources to prevent further loss, recover from lost resources and gain new resources. These traumatic experiences increase the risk of health issues, in particular mental health problems amongst this population, and their need for appropriate healthcare and supportive social services. Although these findings reflect the experiences of Iranian asylum seeker women, the results can be useful for similar populations. The women strived to build resilience and gain the control of their lives through adoption of emotion focused and problem solving coping strategies.
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