Social participation is important for a person’s well-being and mental health. A group of people who are particularly affected by bad health are newly arrived refugees. Research shows that supportive networks that come through, for example, work and social communities contribute to reduced PTSD symptoms and increased well-being among newly arrived refugees.
The aim of the project is to investigate in what ways mental health and social participation of newly arrived refugees is taken into consideration in the Swedish Establishment Programme as well as in some religious communities.
The project includes analysis of policy documents by the Swedish Public Employment Service, qualitative interviews with the authors of these documents, as well as qualitative interviews with professionals who implement these documents in practice. The project also includes interviews with representatives of local faith communities in order to study how policy documents within these communities are implemented in practice.
The project is unique thanks to its established contacts with and access to refugee groups, faith communities, non-governmental organizations, as well as its focus on salutogenic factors and resilience.
The Stakeholders: Perspectives, Policies & Strategies - Social participation and mental health in laws and policy documents concerning the establishment of newly arrived refugees research project is led by Associate Professor Linda Vikdahl at The Swedish Red Cross University College.