Immigrant Mental Health, A Public Health Issue: Looking Back and Moving Forward

The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) strategy calls for promoting the health and wellbeing of all Canadians and to improve mental health outcomes. Each year, one in every five Canadians experiences one or more mental health problems, creating a significant cost to the health system. Mental health is pivotal to holistic health and wellbeing. This paper presents the key findings of a comprehensive literature review of Canadian research on the relationship between settlement experiences and the mental health and well-being of immigrants and refugees. A scoping review was conducted following a framework provided by Arskey and O’Malley (Int J Soc Res Methodol 8:19–32, 2005). Over two decades of relevant literature on immigrants’ health in Canada was searched. These included English language peer-reviewed publications from relevant online databases Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Healthstar, ERIC and CINAHL between 1990 and 2015. The findings revealed three important ways in which settlement affects the mental health of immigrants and refugees: through acculturation related stressors, economic uncertainty and ethnic discrimination. The recommendations for public health practice and policy are discussed

Nymphaea rubra Roxb. ex Andrews in Sri Lankan Fresh Waters

Native water lilies are wide spread in aquatic ecosystems in Sri Lanka and the RevisedHandbook to the Flora of Ceylon has recognized only two native water-lilies, Nymphaeanouchali Burm. f. and N. pubescens Willd. However, another night blooming Nymphaeaspecies with red flowers that is not either taxonomically described or recognized in the Floraduring the revision occurs in many parts of the country. A detailed taxonomic investigationwas carried out with field collected samples of all Nymphaea species occurring in local waterbodies. Forty eight morphological characters were studied in detail and coded into a datamatrix. Data were analysed using PAST software version 2.17.The multivariate analysis separated this group of Nymphaea from the other native Nymphaeaspecies as a separate phenetic group. Larger leaves (25-48 cm) with reddish purple abaxialand green adaxial surfaces, red petals and a larger number of stamens (62-103), and creamcolour stigmatic head are important characters that separates the group from its closeresemblance, N. pubescens. Comparing the morphological features of the individuals in thisphenetic group with taxonomic descriptions of N. rubra, confirmed their identity as N. rubra.A complete morphological description and an identification key to separate the differentNymphaea species occurring in Sri Lanka were constructed.

New lives, new challenges: access to intimate partner violence services for portuguese-speaking immigrant women

Intimate partner violence is a global health issue and the most common form of violence experienced by women. This study explored barriers to accessing help to Intimate partner violence related health services among Portuguese-speaking immigrant women in Toronto, Canada. Exploratory study conducted by a survey and focus group discussions with 12 Portuguese-speaking immigrant women. Results clarify the struggles faced by Portuguese-speaking immigrant women and their pathways to care and help-seeking. Participants reported that the fear of being deported, obtaining evidence of abuse, and lack of language-specific services were the key barriers to seeking help. When available, language-specific community-based services, along with faith and religion, were noted as key factors that supported women’s resilience. Nurses who provide care and services to women who are dealing with Intimate partner violence should rethink the scope of their advocacy actions toward addressing these structural barriers by building alliances with organizations to better serve and protect women in such vulnerable situations

Engaging a rural community in identifying determinants of low birth weight and deciding on measures to improve low birth weight: an experience from a Sri Lankan study

Background: Involving communities in identifying and addressing determinants of their own health is effective in addressing complex problems, such as low birth weight (LBW). LBW is an important public health problem which has not improved significantly in Sri Lanka in the last 10 years. This study reports the ability of lay persons to identify and address determinants of LBW. Methods: A health promotion intervention was conducted among 403 mothers registering at 26 antenatal clinics in the district of Anuradhapura, in Sri Lanka. The components of a health promotion process\u2014initiation, maintenance and continual monitoring, and re-direction towards greater effectiveness\u2014were explained to the mothers. Inputs were initially provided through different methods to enable mothers\u2019 groups to identify determinants of LBW and to decide actions to address those identified determinants. The overall study was carried out over a period of 1 year, of which the intervention phase took around 7 months. The mothers in the clinic group were encouraged to continue an ongoing process in smaller \u201cneighborhood action committees\u201d (NACs)\u2014of which there were 71. The findings are based on field notes maintained during the process, analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Each group of mothers identified at least eight determinants of LBW at the first attempt (without first author\u2019s guidance), four of which corresponded with those already mentioned in published studies. Up to five other determinants were agreed, after facilitation by the first author, at the second attempt. Of the total, 10 determinants of LBW were finally prioritized. Twenty actions to address the 10 selected prioritized determinants were agreed through a collective consensus development process. Conclusions: Lay communities successfully identified determinants of LBW and household level actions to address these, with relatively simple guidance, when stimulated to initiate the relevant process. This capacity should be nurtured and better used in interventions to improve LBW

Coital Experience Among Adolescents in Three Social-Educational Groups in Urban Chiang Mai, Thailand

This article compares coital experience of Chiang Mai 17–20-year-olds who were: (1) out-of-school; (2) studying at vocational schools; and (3) studying at general schools or university. Four-fifths, two-thirds and one-third, respectively, of males in these groups had had intercourse, compared to 53, 62 and 15 per cent of females. The gender difference for general school/university students, but not vocational school students, probably reflects HIV/AIDS refocusing male sexual initiation away from commercial sex workers. Vocational school females may have been disproportionately affected. Loss of virginity was associated, for both sexes, with social-educational background and lifestyle, and was less likely in certain minority ethnic groups. Among males, it was also associated with age and parental marital dissolution, and among females, with independent living and parental disharmony. Within social-educational groups, lifestyle variables dominated, but among general school/university students, parental marital dissolution (for males) and disharmony (for females) were also important, and Chinese ethnicity deterred male sexual experimentation

Identification of nursing assessment models/tools validated in clinical practice for use with diverse ethno-cultural groups: an integrative review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>High income nations are currently exhibiting increasing ethno-cultural diversity which may present challenges for nursing practice. We performed an integrative review of literature published in North America and Europe between 1990 and 2007, to map the state of knowledge and to identify nursing assessment tools/models which are have an associated research or empirical perspective in relation to ethno-cultural dimensions of nursing care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data was retrieved from a wide variety of sources, including key electronic bibliographic databases covering research in biomedical fields, nursing and allied health, and culture, e.g. CINAHL, MEDline, PUBmed, Cochrane library, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and HAPI. We used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tools for quality assessment. We applied Torraco's definition and method of an integrative review that aims to create new knowledge and perspectives on a given phenomena. To add methodological rigor with respect to the search strategy and other key review components we also used the principles established by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirteen thousand and thirteen articles were retrieved, from which 53 full papers were assessed for inclusion. Eight papers met the inclusion criteria, describing research on a total of eight ethno-cultural assessment tools/models. The tools/models are described and synthesized.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While many ethno-cultural assessment tools exist to guide nursing practice, few are informed by research perspectives. An increased focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of health services, patient safety, and risk management, means that provision of culturally responsive and competent health services will inevitably become paramount.</p