Immigrant Mothers’ Perspectives of Barriers and Facilitators in Accessing Mental Health Care for Their Children
Abstract
Data on immigrant and refugees’ access to services in Canada does not typically focus on children. To fill this gap, this study explored immigrant and refugee mothers’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators (things that help) for mental health care for their children in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Barriers included financial strain, lack of information, racism/discrimination, language barriers, stigma, feeling isolated, and feeling unheard by service providers. Facilitators included schools offering services, personal levels of higher education, and free services. Nurses can improve access to mental health services by addressing issues related to racism within the health system, by creating awareness related to mental health, and by providing trained interpreters to help bridge barriers in communications.
Notes
Location
Edmonton, Alberta
Community organizations
NA
Open-access – No
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
NA
Gaps identified
Lack of culturally congruent care for immigrant populations seeking mental health care, and lack of culturally competent interpreters were among the main gaps mentioned in this article+[@[Key recommendations]]
Key recommendations
(1) Funding programs that incorporate mental health promotion in both pre- and post-migration counseling; (2) Being sensitive about the racialized barriers that immigrant populations face in seeking mental health care; (3) affordable access to sports for low-income families; (4) affordable mental health services at schools and community settings; (5) provision of trained interpreters for those immigrants who face language issues who cannot communicate the cultural aspect of the issues impacting their mental health.
Key findings
This research looks at the potential barriers as well as facilitators for mental care that immigrant/refugee mothers face in seeking for their children in Canada. The results of this study show that the barriers the mother face are financial difficulties, lack of information, racism, language issues, stigma, and feelings of isolation and voicelessness. However, the facilitators that allow these mothers to seek mental heatlth care for their children are personal levels of higher education, schools offering services, and free services.
Key populations
Immigrant and refugee mothers