Mental Health of African Asylum-seekers and Refugees in Hong Kong: Using the Social Determinants of Health Framework

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aut.relation.articlenumber153en_NZ
aut.relation.journalBMC Public Healthen_NZ
aut.relation.volume17en_NZ
aut.researcherHolroyd, Eleanor
dc.contributor.authorWong, WCWen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorCheung, Sen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorMiu, HYHen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorChen, Jen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorLoper, KAen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorHolroyd, Een_NZ
dc.date.accessioned2020-08-31T03:22:06Z
dc.date.available2020-08-31T03:22:06Z
dc.date.copyright2017en_NZ
dc.date.issued2017en_NZ
dc.description.abstractBackground: Hong Kong is non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, and has no systematic domestic policies committed to the rights of asylum-seekers and refugees (ASRs). This creates a tenuous setting for African ASRs there. This study explored how mapped social determinates of health has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of African ASR's in Hong Kong. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out with 374 African ASRs. The survey comprised of: (a) socio-demographics; (b) health status; (c) health behaviours; and, (d) social experiences. Associations between social determinants of health and depression screen were explored and multivariable regression analysis was conducted. Results: Majority of participants were 18-37 years old (79.7%), male (77.2%), single (66.4%) and educated (60.9% high school and above). Over a third (36.1%) screened positive for depression. Analyses revealed that living with family reduced the odds of a positive depression screen (OR = 0.25, 95%CI = 0.07-0.88). Those perceiving their health to be "Poor" were 5.78 times as likely to be screened for depression. Additionally, those with higher scores on the discrimination scale were more likely to have positive depression screen (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.10-1.24). Conclusion: A significant proportion of African ASRs in Hong Kong exhibits depressive symptoms. A complex interaction combining both social and perceptions of health and discrimination in the host society is likely exacerbated by their ASR status. The use of community support groups or even re-examination of the family reunification laws could improve the mental health and wellbeing of African ASRs in Hong Kong.en_NZ
dc.identifier.citationBMC Public Health 17, 153 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3953-5
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s12889-016-3953-5en_NZ
dc.identifier.issn1471-2458en_NZ
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10292/13623
dc.publisherBioMed Central Ltd
dc.relation.urihttps://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3953-5
dc.rights© The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
dc.rights.accessrightsOpenAccessen_NZ
dc.subjectDepression; Mental health; Social Determinants of Health; African refugees; Hong Kong
dc.titleMental Health of African Asylum-seekers and Refugees in Hong Kong: Using the Social Determinants of Health Frameworken_NZ
dc.typeJournal Article
pubs.elements-id219309
pubs.organisational-data/AUT
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science/Clinical Sciences
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science/Nursing
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF/PBRF Health and Environmental Sciences
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF/PBRF Health and Environmental Sciences/HH Clinical Sciences 2018 PBRF
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