ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1800-4475
Current Organisations
Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma
,
Queensland University of Technology
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Publications
Social Context Matters: Predictors of Quality of Life among Recently Arrived Refugee Women-at-Risk Living in Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-03-2020
Predictors of Secondary School Completion Among Refugee Youth 8 to 9 Years After Resettlement in Melbourne, Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-08-2016
Low Vitamin B12 Levels among Newly-Arrived Refugees from Bhutan, Iran and Afghanistan: A Multicentre Australian Study
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 28-02-2013
Refugees: The Millennium Development Goals' Overlooked Priority Group
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2012
Food Security for People with Lived-Refugee Experiences is Interrelated with Culture and Mental Health: Perspectives from Workers Supporting the Settlement Journey in Australia
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 12-06-2023
DOI: 10.1155/2023/4726465
Abstract: People from refugee backgrounds generally have long and stressful journeys that involve involuntarily fleeing their homes and often include dislocation from family and friends. Food is integral to settlement when arriving in a destination country, as it is entwined with self-identity, culture, and connectedness to family and community. The aim of this study was to understand the facilitators and barriers of accessing cultural foods during the settlement journey for families with a refugee background, from the perspectives of workers who support the settlement journey. The study used participatory action research methodology to conduct focus groups with settlement and other workers who regularly interacted with people from refugee backgrounds, spoke English, and preferably self-identified with a refugee background. Participants were recruited through community organisations in Brisbane, Australia, and focus groups were held at workplaces or online. Eight focus groups (n = 32) were conducted between June and October 2021. The main theme was that food security, culture, and mental health were interrelated. When cultural food access, culture, or mental health were maintained or adversely impacted, all three factors were likewise affected. The behaviours around purchasing cultural foods were motivated by the desire to express and validate culture, which in turn improved mental health. It was also found that in idual and community support systems sustained access to cultural foods, while social, environmental, institutional, and political structures impacted this access, sometimes detrimentally. This study highlights the need for interventions that foster social capital for families with refugee backgrounds and consider food security, culture, and mental health collectively. In addition, there is a need for increased awareness of the settlement journey, and for cultural inclusivity to be integrated into government policies, by working with communities and providing opportunities for people to express their culture, improve access to cultural foods, and maintain mental health.
The persistence of predictors of wellbeing among refugee youth eight years after resettlement in Melbourne, Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2015.08.017
Abstract: This short report assesses the predictors of subjective health and happiness among a cohort of refugee youth over their first eight years in Australia. Five waves of data collection were conducted between 2004 (n = 120) and 2012-13 (n = 51) using mixed methods. Previous schooling, self-esteem, moving house in the previous year, a supportive social environment, stronger ethnic identity and perceived discrimination were significant predictors of wellbeing after adjusting for demographic and pre-migration factors. When compared with a previous analysis of this cohort over their first three years of settlement, experiences of social exclusion still have a significant impact on wellbeing eight years after arriving in Australia. This study contributes to mounting evidence in support of policies that discourage discrimination and promote social inclusion and cultural ersity and which underpin the wellbeing of resettled refugee youth.
Negotiating family, navigating resettlement: family connectedness amongst resettled youth with refugee backgrounds living in Melbourne, Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 25-08-2010
‘I came to this country for a better life’: factors mediating employment trajectories among young people who migrated to Australia as refugees during adolescence
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-03-2014
Developing a best practice model of refugee maternity care
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.WOMBI.2011.01.002
Abstract: About one third of refugee and humanitarian entrants to Australia are women age 12-44 years. Pregnant women from refugee backgrounds may have been exposed to a range of medical and psychosocial issues that can impact maternal, fetal and neonatal health. What are the key elements that characterise a best practice model of maternity care for women from refugee backgrounds? This paper outlines the findings of a project which aimed at developing such a model at a major maternity hospital in Brisbane, Australia. This multifaceted project included a literature review, consultations with key stakeholders, a chart audit of hospital use by African-born women in 2006 that included their obstetric outcomes, a survey of 23 African-born women who gave birth at the hospital in 2007-08, and a survey of 168 hospital staff members. The maternity chart audit identified complex medical and social histories among the women, including anaemia, female circumcision, hepatitis B, thrombocytopenia, and barriers to access antenatal care. The rates of caesarean sections and obstetric complications increased over time. Women and hospital staff surveys indicated the need for adequate interpreting services, education programs for women regarding antenatal and postnatal care, and professional development for health care staff to enhance cultural responsiveness. The findings point towards the need for a model of refugee maternity care that comprises continuity of carer, quality interpreter services, educational strategies for both women and healthcare professionals, and the provision of psychosocial support to women from refugee backgrounds.
Studying Refugee Settlement through Longitudinal Research: Methodological and Ethical Insights from the Good Starts Study
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-06-2014
DOI: 10.1093/JRS/FEU017
Through their eyes: seeing experiences of settlement in photographs taken by refugee background youth in Melbourne, Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2016
When the right to be counted doesn’t count: The politics and challenges of researching the health of asylum seekers
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2007
Australian health policy on access to medical care for refugees and asylum seekers
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-10-2005
Abstract: Since the tightening of Australian policy for protection visa applicants began in the 1990s, access to health care has been increasingly restricted to asylum seekers on a range of different visa types. This paper summarises those legislative changes and discusses their implications for health policy relating to refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. Of particular concern are asylum seekers on Bridging Visas with no work rights and no access to Medicare. The paper examines several key questions: What is the current state of play, in terms of health screening and medical care policies, for asylum seekers and refugees? Relatedly, how has current policy changed from that of the past? How does Australia compare with other countries in relation to health policy for asylum seekers and refugees? These questions are addressed with the aim of providing a clear description of the current situation concerning Australian health policy on access to medical care for asylum seekers and refugees. Issues concerning lack of access to appropriate health care and related services are raised, ethical and practical issues are explored, and current policy gaps are investigated.
Longing to belong: Social inclusion and wellbeing among youth with refugee backgrounds in the first three years in Melbourne, Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2010.07.018
Abstract: For young people with refugee backgrounds, establishing a sense of belonging to their family and community, and to their country of resettlement is essential for wellbeing. This paper describes the psychosocial factors associated with subjective health and wellbeing outcomes among a cohort of 97 refugee youth (aged 11-19) during their first three years in Melbourne, Australia. The findings reported here are drawn from the Good Starts Study, a longitudinal investigation of settlement and wellbeing among refugee youth conducted between 2004 and 2008. The overall aim of Good Starts was to identify the psychosocial factors that assist youth with refugee backgrounds in making a good start in their new country. A particular focus was on key transitions: from pre-arrival to Australia, from the language school to mainstream school, and from mainstream school to higher education or to the workforce. Good Starts used a mix of both method and theory from anthropology and social epidemiology. Using standardized measures of wellbeing and generalised estimating equations to model the predictors of wellbeing over time, this paper reports that key factors strongly associated with wellbeing outcomes are those that can be described as indicators of belonging - the most important being subjective social status in the broader Australian community, perceived discrimination and bullying. We argue that settlement specific policies and programs can ultimately be effective if embedded within a broader socially inclusive society - one that offers real opportunities for youth with refugee backgrounds to flourish.
Working for a better life: Longitudinal evidence on the predictors of employment among recently arrived refugee migrant men living in Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/IMIG.12099
Levels of social trust among men from refugee backgrounds after the 2011 Queensland floods
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 02-09-2014
DOI: 10.1108/IJDRBE-01-2014-0011
Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between flood exposure and levels of social trust among a cohort of adult men from refugee backgrounds who were affected by the 2011 floods in Queensland, Australia. – A quantitative questionnaire was administered to 141 men from refugee backgrounds almost two years after the 2011 Queensland floods. The survey was administered in-person by trained peer interviewers, and included a number of standardized instruments assessing respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, levels of social trust toward and from neighbors, the police, the wider Australian community and the media and exposure to and impact of the floods. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between flood exposure and social trust adjusting for pre-disaster levels of trust and other potentially confounding variables. – Participants with higher levels of flood exposure were significantly more likely to report greater levels of trust both toward and from their neighbors, the wider Australian community and the media, and they were also more likely to believe that most people can be trusted. – Although the study reports on data collected two years after the floods, the analysis has adjusted for pre-disaster measures of social trust and other socio-demographic variables. – This paper has highlighted the important place of social trust and social capital for refugee communities in a post-disaster setting. Disaster responses that support social capital among marginalized populations are critical to increasing community resilience and supporting recovery.
Experiences of resettled refugees during the 2011 Queensland floods
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-10-2014
Health status and use of health services among recently arrived men with refugee backgrounds: A comparative analysis of urban and regional settlement in South-east Queensland
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1071/PY10051
Abstract: Approximately one-third of refugee and humanitarian entrants to Australia are adult men. Many of these men and their families settle in regional areas. Little is known about the health status of refugee men and the use of health services, and whether or not there are differences between those living in urban and regional areas. This paper reports on the cross-sectional differences in health status and use of health services among a group of 233 recently arrived refugee men living in urban and regional areas of South-east Queensland. Overall, participants reported good levels of subjective health status, moderate to good levels of well-being, and low prevalence of mental illness. Men living in urban areas were more likely to have a long-standing illness and report poorer health status than those settled in regional areas. In contrast, men living in regional areas reported poorer levels of well-being in the environment domain and were more likely to visit hospital emergency departments. Targeted health promotion programs will ensure that refugee men remain healthy and develop their full potential as members of the Australian community. Programs that facilitate refugees’ access to primary health care in regional areas may promote more appropriate use of hospital emergency departments by these communities.
Mobility and security: the perceived benefits of citizenship for resettled young people from refugee backgrounds
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-10-2015
The Importance of Local and Global Social Ties for the Mental Health and Well-Being of Recently Resettled Refugee-Background Women in Australia
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 09-2022
Abstract: Social connections are foundational to the human condition and are inherently disrupted when people are forcibly displaced from their home countries. At a time of record high global forced migration, there is value in better understanding how refugee-background in iduals engage theirsocial supports or ties in resettlement contexts. A mixed methods research design aimed to understand the complexities of how 104 refugee-background women experienced their social networks in the first few months of resettlement in Australia. One of the research activities involved participants completing a survey with both quantitative and qualitative components. The quantitative analyses identified the impact of post-migration living difficulties that represented social stressors (worry about family, loneliness and boredom, feeling isolated, and racial discrimination) on the women’s mental health outcomes in the months following resettlement. The qualitative data highlighted the complexities of social relationships serving as both stressors and sources of support, and the importance of recognizing extended families and supports around the globe. The findings point to the need for nuanced accounts of the social contexts surrounding refugee resettlement as important influences able to promote trauma-informed and gender sensitive practices to support mental health and well-being in new settings.
Surviving, Relieving, Repairing, and Boosting Up: Reasons for Using Complementary/Alternative Medicine among Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Thematic Analysis
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Date: 10-2005
Abstract: Patients with advanced cancer commonly use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), however, little research has been undertaken on their reasons for doing so. This study sought to identify in detail the reasons for using CAM among patients with advanced cancer. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Interviews conducted with 39 patients who were participating in a longitudinal study exploring the levels of palliative care received by patients with cancer in Brisbane, Australia. All participants were receiving or had received conventional cancer treatments. S ling was based on the potential richness of the information provided by the participants and the variability in terms of the regularity of CAM use. Most participants self-treated with CAM and perceived CAM modalities as complementary rather than alternative to conventional cancer treatments. Within this context, this group of people used CAM to prolong their survival, palliate their symptoms or alleviate the side effects of conventional cancer treatments, detoxify their bodies, boost immunity and enhance their overall quality of life. When facing an incurable life-threatening illness such as advanced cancer, the decision to use CAM is a pragmatic one. Clinicians need to be aware of what their patients are doing and their rationale for doing so. Screening for physical, emotional, and spiritual discomfort associated not only with the disease but with some of the cancer treatments needs to be given a prominent place in the clinical encounter. Patients with cancer want to know more about how to maintain or improve their quality of life during and after surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Fostering an open non-judgmental communication with patients is part of good clinical practice.
Systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of c-reactive protein to detect bacterial infection in nonhospitalized infants and children with fever
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.JPEDS.2008.04.023
Abstract: To determine the accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) for diagnosing serious bacterial and bacterial infections in infants and children presenting with fever. Systematic review of diagnostic accuracy studies. We included studies comparing the diagnostic accuracy of CRP with microbiologic confirmation of (a) serious bacterial and (b) bacterial infection. For differentiating between serious bacterial infection and benign or nonbacterial infection (6 studies), the pooled estimate of sensitivity was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.68, 0.83) specificity, 0.79 (95% CI, 0.74, 0.83) positive likelihood ratio, 3.64 (95% CI, 2.99, 4.43) and negative likelihood ratio, 0.29 (95% CI, 0.22, 0.40). In multivariate analysis, CRP is an independent predictor of serious bacterial infection. 3 studies investigating the accuracy of CRP for diagnosing bacterial infection could not be pooled, but all showed a lower sensitivity compared with studies using serious bacterial infection as the reference diagnosis. CRP provides moderate and independent information for both ruling in and ruling out serious bacterial infection in children with fever at first presentation. Poor sensitivity means that CRP cannot be used to exclude all bacterial infection.
Community development with survivors of torture and trauma: an evaluation framework
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-02-2009
DOI: 10.1093/CDJ/BSP003
Women from refugee backgrounds and their experiences of attending a specialist antenatal clinic. Narratives from an Australian setting
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.WOMBI.2013.07.004
Abstract: In response to an identified need, a specialist antenatal clinic for women from refugee backgrounds was introduced in 2008, with an evaluation planned and completed in 2010. Can maternity care experiences for women from refugee backgrounds, attending a specialist antenatal clinic in a tertiary Australian public hospital, be improved? The evaluation employed mixed methods, generating qualitative and quantitative data from two hospital databases, a chart audit, surveys and interviews with service users, providers and stakeholders. Contributions were received from 202 participants. The clinic was highly regarded by all participants. Continuity of care throughout the antenatal period was particularly valued by newly arrived women as it afforded them security and support to negotiate an unfamiliar Western maternity system. Positive experiences decreased however as women transitioned from the clinic to labour and postnatal wards where they reported that their traditional birthing and recuperative practices were often interrupted by the imposition of Western biomedical notions of appropriate care. The centrally located clinic was problematic, frequently requiring complex travel arrangements. Appointment schedules often impacted negatively on traditional spousal and family obligations. Providing comprehensive and culturally responsive maternity care for women from refugee backgrounds is achievable, however it is also resource intensive. The production of translated information which is high quality in terms of production and content, whilst also taking account of languages which are only rarely encountered, is problematic. Cultural competency programmes for staff, ideally online, require regular updating in light of new knowledge and changing political sensitivities.
'We Are Not Here to Claim Better Services Than Any Other': Social Exclusion among Men from Refugee Backgrounds in Urban and Regional Australia
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-05-2012
DOI: 10.1093/JRS/FES003
A six-year descriptive analysis of hospitalisations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions among people born in refugee-source countries
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-10-2007
Related Organisations
Queensland Program Of Assistance To Survivors Of Torture And Trauma
Location: Australia
Queensland University Of Technology Faculty Of Health
Location: Australia
Related Funding Activities
No related grants have been discovered for Ignacio Correa-Velez.