ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Refugee women are at an increased risk of developing postpartum depression (PPD) due to a combination of various psychosocial stressors. This systematic review aimed to outline the prevalence of PPD among refugee women and explore related risk factors and interventions currently in practice. METHODS: A search was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Core Collection (Web of Science) for articles published until August 2022, yielding 1,678 records. RESULTS: The prevalence of refugee and asylum-seeking women was 22.5% (n = 657/2,922), while the prevalence of non-refugee/asylum-seeking women with PPD was 17.5% (n = 400/2,285). Refugee/asylum-seeking women face a unique set of issues such as domestic abuse, separation and lack of support, stress, pre-migrational experiences, prior history of mental illness, low income, and discrimination. Refugee/asylum-seeking women may benefit from support groups, individual support, self-coping mechanisms, and familial support. CONCLUSION: This review identifies that a higher prevalence of PPD in refugee and asylum-seeking women compared to other groups can potentially be attributed to the unique risk factors they face. This warrants the need for further research as studies on interventions for this condition are limited among this population.
Subject(s)
Depression, Postpartum , Refugees , Female , Humans , Depression, Postpartum/epidemiology , Depression, Postpartum/therapy , Depression, Postpartum/psychology , Refugees/psychology , Prevalence , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Standard automated perimetery is considered the gold standard for evaluating a patient's visual field. However, it is costly and requires a fixed testing environment. In response, perimetric devices using virtual reality (VR) headsets have emerged as an alternative way to measure visual fields in patients. This systematic review aims to characterize both novel and established VR headsets in the literature and explore their potential applications within visual field testing. A search was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Core Collection (Web of Science) for articles published until January 2023. Subject headings and keywords related to virtual reality and visual field were used to identify studies specific to this topic. Records were first screened by title/abstract and then by full text using predefined criteria. Data was extracted accordingly. A total of 2404 records were identified from the databases. After deduplication and the two levels of screening, 64 studies describing 36 VR headset perimetry devices were selected for extraction. These devices encompassed various visual field measurement techniques, including static and kinetic perimetry, with some offering vision rehabilitation capabilities. This review reveals a growing consensus that VR headset perimetry devices perform comparably to, or even better than, standard automated perimetry. They are better tolerated by patients in terms of gaze fixation, more cost-effective, and generally more accessible for patients with limited mobility.
Subject(s)
Nervous System Diseases , Virtual Reality , Humans , Visual Field Tests , Visual Fields , Fixation, OcularABSTRACT
The refugee crisis is spreading rapidly, with the number of global refugees this decade doubling in comparison to the last, leading to further concern regarding asylum policies and their psychological impacts. The aim of this systematic review is to further emphasize the correlation between familial separation and the risk of mental health disorders in refugees. This particular review uses quantitative and qualitative data sourced from a variety of countries to comparatively view the mental health status of approximately 8,737 refugees ages 15 and older. This was done to determine if familial separation could potentially impact their overall quality of life. As a result, separation from one's family was found to be correlated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, adult separation anxiety disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and more. Studies reported a high variance in the prevalence of mental health disorders when models were adjusted for family separation. Methods to improve asylum procedure and mental health services for refugees is taken into consideration.
Subject(s)
Family Separation , Refugees , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Adult , Humans , Adolescent , Mental Health , Refugees/psychology , Quality of Life/psychology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychologyABSTRACT
Meeting the health needs of refugee populations and increasing access to healthcare remains a challenge for healthcare systems globally. As such, community health and patient engagement are increasingly recommended strategies to address health-related issues among refugees. This systematic review aims to identify the reported barriers that adult refugees encounter with community health and patient engagement. Data sources included MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Core Collection (Web of Science), yielding 1156 records. After removing duplicates and two levels of screening, 18 studies were selected for qualitative analysis. The barriers were conceptualised as cultural norms, pre-departure history, education, language proficiency, stigma, racism, social support, and multi-factorial barriers. These barriers can be addressed to improve rapport with refugees and the quality of community health and patient engagement initiatives.
