RESUMO
Communication is the cornerstone of mental healthcare. In the UK, many people who will need access to mental health services do not possess English as their first language. In this editorial, we seek to examine current policy and guidance with respect to interpreting in mental healthcare, and explore the benefits and challenges of interpretation and the ethical implications to consider. We focus on how mental health services could better engage with interpreters as cultural brokers to understand cultural expressions of distress. We conclude by suggesting an education and research agenda which could decrease ethnic disparities in mental healthcare.
RESUMO
AIMS AND METHOD: Refugees' mental health has attracted great interest from researchers recently, in view of increasing numbers of refugees settling in Europe. A deficit model, focusing on mental disorder, has often dominated the discourse on the subject, but a strength-based model is becoming more recognised and adopted. Through semi-structured interviews, and using interpretative phenomenological analysis as a data analysis tool, the current study sought to explore the lived experiences of Syrian refugees in the UK in relation to resilience factors. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified reflecting interpersonal and family factors, factors related to religion, faith and belief systems, and personal qualities. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study calls for perceiving refugees as resilient individuals with strengths and adaptive qualities. It also demonstrates that refugees' resilience is essentially an interpersonal process, advocating therefore for engagement and therapeutic approaches that are systemic, relational, and culturally and spiritually competent.
