Civil Society in Making - Challenges of the Somali Diaspora Organizations

Peer reviewe

Family-like Relationships and Wellbeing of Young Refugees in Finland, Norway, and Scotland

Abstract: In this article, we explore the role of family-like relationships in creating wellbeing for unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs) to Europe. Our theoretical point of departure is a relational approach to wellbeing as conceptualized by Sarah C. White. The data comprises interviews with 51 settled UMRs in Finland, Norway, and Scotland, focused on their social networks, and a selection of paired interviews with young people alongside someone they defined as family-like and important for their wellbeing today. Findings illuminate the important role family-like relationships have in meeting the daily needs of young refugees. These relationships are ascribed meaning in the context of young people’s wider networks and ideas of ‘what family should do’. Family-like relationships gain particular importance for UMRs in two different ways: first, the physical absence of the family of origin enforces children and young people’s need to create trusted, reciprocal networks. Second, building family-like relationships is necessary in a new country where UMRs grow up and face new expectations, needs, and opportunities. We argue that relational wellbeing is built in a hybrid ‘third space’. A welfare state should support the wellbeing of UMRs by nurturing welcoming communities and providing UMRs help with building family-like relationships through formal and other support networks.Family-like Relationships and Wellbeing of Young Refugees in Finland, Norway, and ScotlandpublishedVersio

Introduction : wellbeing, family life, and transnational Muslims in the West

Peer reviewe

Usage of healthcare services and preference for mental healthcare among older Somali immigrants in Finland

Objectives: The aims of the study were, first, to describe and analyze healthcare services utilization patterns of older immigrants in Finland, and particularly to compare the availability and accessibility of health services between older Somalis and Finns. The second aim was to examine the preferences for mental healthcare within the group of Somalis. The third aim was to test the existence of a service usage gap expected to be characteristic of the Somali group, in which high levels of mental health problems occur alongside simultaneous low levels of mental health service usage. Design: The participants were 256 men and women between the ages of 50–85; half were Somali migrants and the other half Finnish matched pairs. The participants were surveyed regarding their usage of somatic, mental, and preventive health services, as well as symptoms of depression, general distress, and somatization. The Somali participants were also surveyed regarding their usage of traditional healing methods and preferences for mental healthcare. Results: The Somali group had significantly lower access to personal/family doctors at healthcare centers as well as a lower availability of private doctors and occupational health services than the Finns. Instead, they used more nursing services than Finnish patients. The Somali participants attended fewer age-salient preventive check-ups than the Finns. The majority of the Somalis preferred traditional care, most commonly religious healing, for mental health problems. The hypothesized service gap was not substantiated, as a high level of depressive symptoms was not associated with a low usage of health services among the Somalis, but it was found unexpectedly among the Finns. Conclusion: Our findings call for culturally appropriate general and mental health services for older immigrants, which requires awareness of clients’ preferences, needs, and alternative healing practices. Somali participants encountered institutional barriers in accessing healthcare, and they preferred informal mental healthcare, especially religious healing instead of Western practices.Peer reviewe

Lived Experience Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic among Arabic-, Russian- and Somali-Speaking Migrants in Finland

Increasing research shows that migrants are disproportionately exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, little is known about their lived experience and related meaning-making. This qualitative study maps COVID-19-related experiences among respondents from three migrant groups living in Finland: Somali-, Arabic- and Russian-speakers (N = 209). The data were collected by telephone interviews over four weeks in March and April 2020. Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified seven themes that illustrate respondents’ multifaceted lived experiences during the first phase of pandemic. The themes depict respondents’ difficulties and fears, but also their resilience and resources to cope, both individually and collectively. Experiences varied greatly between individuals and migrant groups. The main conclusion is that although the COVID-19 pandemic may be an especially stressful experience for migrant populations, it may also provide opportunities to deepen cooperation and trust within migrant communities, and between migrants and their country of settlement. Our analysis suggests that cooperation between local authorities and migrants, trust-building and effective information-sharing can foster positive and functional adaptations to disease-related threats and changing social environments

Lived Experience Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic among Arabic-, Russian- and Somali-Speaking Migrants in Finland

Increasing research shows that migrants are disproportionately exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, little is known about their lived experience and related meaning-making. This qualitative study maps COVID-19-related experiences among respondents from three migrant groups living in Finland: Somali-, Arabic- and Russian-speakers (N = 209). The data were collected by telephone interviews over four weeks in March and April 2020. Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified seven themes that illustrate respondents’ multifaceted lived experiences during the first phase of pandemic. The themes depict respondents’ difficulties and fears, but also their resilience and resources to cope, both individually and collectively. Experiences varied greatly between individuals and migrant groups. The main conclusion is that although the COVID-19 pandemic may be an especially stressful experience for migrant populations, it may also provide opportunities to deepen cooperation and trust within migrant communities, and between migrants and their country of settlement. Our analysis suggests that cooperation between local authorities and migrants, trust-building and effective information-sharing can foster positive and functional adaptations to disease-related threats and changing social environments

Incidental bycatch mortality and fishing restrictions: impacts on juvenile survival in the Endangered Saimaa ringed seal Pusa hispida saimensis

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Moniammatillinen tiedonmuodostus - neuvottelua välitilassa

Tässä artikkelissa tutkimme lähisuhdeväkivaltaan kiinnittyvän simulaatioharjoituksen moniammatillista suunnitteluprosessia. Teoriaohjaavan tarkastelun kohteena on yhteisen tiedon muodostaminen, jota lähestymme liminaalitilan ja dialogisuuden käsitteillä ja toimintatutkimuksen lähtökohtia hyödyntäen. Tutkimusaineiston muodostavat moniammatilliseen simulaatioprosessiin osallistuneen suunnitteluryhmän yhteiset dokumentit, sähköpostiviestit, kirjalliset reflektoinnit sekä keskustelut, joita dokumentoitiin koko prosessin ajan. Aineisto analysointiin narratiivista analyysiä hyödyntäen. Analyysin tulokset osoittivat moniammatillisen tiedonmuodostuksen rakentuneen seuraavien yhteisten kysymysten ympärille: Kuka voi olla asiakas, Puheeksi ottaminen vai salassapito? ja Asetutaanko tukemaan uhria vai tekijää? Moniammatillisen suunnitteluprosessin lopputuloksena muodostui ammattilaisten kesken uusi jaettu näkemys, jossa näihin kysymyksiin liittyvät jännitteiset näkökulmat sovittuivat yhteen. Tutkimustulokset tuottavat uutta ymmärrystä siitä, miten tietoa voidaan rakentaa moniammatillisesti sensitiivisten kysymysten äärellä