Free webinar: Implement Research on impact of family loss and separation on refugee youth - Dec 20
Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project provides many opportunities to explore topics related to the challenges faced by newcomers to Canada.
This free webinar speaks to the story of separated refugee youth that experience numerous challenges in their settlement impacting their mental health and well-being, and the evidence-informed call for action strategies for systemic uptake of those findings into practices.
Social determinants of health including language barriers, discrimination, settlement process delay, limited access to education, challenges finding affordable accommodation and employment are key factors impacting the youth.
The separation from home, family and culture was a significant stressor. They experience Mental Health problems like PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
Protective factors which support youth include a caring community, connection with peers, faith and support from community programs and services.
Support from community programs includes both support with system navigation as well as social, recreational and skills development programming.
Therapeutic interventions, including Cognitive Behavioural therapy with cultural modifications were found to be effective.
Monday, December 20th, 2021: 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm CST
Speaker:
Akm Alamgir, a mixed-method community-based researcher, is the Manager, Quality and Accountability Systems; and the Scientist, Research and Evaluation Department of Access Alliance, a community health center at Toronto. He earned a PhD in evaluation, a Master's degree in epidemiology, and a bachelor's in medicine. He practices a co-production approach for intersectional analysis in research and evaluation for understanding the social determinants of health for vulnerable communities.
Two of his current research projects are- (i) Impact of family loss and separation on refugee youth (CYRRC funded), and (ii) Parenting experience of Syrian refugee neo-parents (SSHRS funded). His manuscripts are published in peer-reviewed journals.
