The Mental Health of Refugees during a Pandemic: Striving toward Social Justice through Social Determinants of Health and Human Rights

The Mental Health of Refugees during a Pandemic: Striving toward Social Justice through Social Determinants of Health and Human Rights

Daniel Yozwiak

Tanner McGuire

Julie M Aultman

2022

This paper is the second of two in a series. In our first paper, we presented a social justice framework emerging from an extensive literature review and incorporating core social determinants specific to mental health in the age of COVID-19 and illustrated specific social determinants impacting mental health (SDIMH) of our resettled Bhutanese refugee population during the pandemic. This second paper details specific barriers to the SDIMH detrimental to the basic human rights and social justice of this population during this pandemic. The SDIMH, as described, further informs the need for social justice measures and cultural humility in mental healthcare, public health, law, and community engagement. This work concludes with a proposed call to action toward mental health improvement and fair treatment for refugee populations in three core areas: communication and education, social stigma and discrimination, and accessibility and availability of resources.

Asian Bioeth Rev
. 2021 Sep 13;14(1):9-23. doi: 10.1007/s41649-021-00184-0. eCollection 2022 Jan.

English

https://doi.org/10.1007/s41649-021-00184-0