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Characteristics of Successful and Unsuccessful Mental Health Referrals of Refugees

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Abstract

In this community based participatory research study, we explored key characteristics of mental health referrals of refugees using stories of providers collected through an on-line survey. Ten coders sorted 60 stories of successful referrals and 34 stories of unsuccessful referrals into domains using the critical incident technique. Principal components analysis yielded categories of successful referrals that included: active care coordination, establishing trust, proactive resolution of barriers, and culturally responsive care. Unsuccessful referrals were characterized by cultural barriers, lack of care coordination, refusal to see refugees, and system and language barriers. Recommendations for training and policy are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Award Number UL1TR000114 to the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch Project [55-028].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, 105 Peters Hall, 1404 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Patricia J. Shannon

  2. Research Department, Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Gregory A. Vinson

  3. School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Tonya L. Cook

  4. Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Evelyn Lennon

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  1. Patricia J. Shannon
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  2. Gregory A. Vinson
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Correspondence to Patricia J. Shannon.

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Shannon, P.J., Vinson, G.A., Cook, T.L. et al. Characteristics of Successful and Unsuccessful Mental Health Referrals of Refugees. Adm Policy Ment Health 43, 555–568 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0639-8

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