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Health and Socio-Cultural Experiences of Refugee Women: An Integrative Review

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Abstract

Approximately half of the global refugee population are women, yet they remain largely understudied from the perspective of gender. The aim of this review was to investigate the impact of refugee women’s resettlement and socio-cultural experiences on their health. This review also explored factors promoting resilience in refugee women. Eight databases were searched for peer-reviewed manuscripts published from 2005 to 2014. Grey literature was also reviewed. Data were extracted for population, data collection methods, data analysis, and findings. The Resource-Based Model was used as an overarching framework for data synthesis. Following the screening of titles and abstracts, 20 studies met the study inclusion criteria. Cultural factors, social and material factors, personal factors, and resilience factors were identified as main themes influencing the health of refugee women. Promotion of factors that enables resettlement is important in promoting the health and wellbeing of refugee women.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Jane Van Balen (health librarian) for her significant contribution to the design and execution of the literature search strategy.

Authors’ Contributions

All authors participated in the design of the study. PMD, LG, AG, and MD provided critical feedback on drafts. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Level 7, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Sara Shishehgar, Leila Gholizadeh, Michelle DiGiacomo, Anna Green & Patricia M. Davidson

  2. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Patricia M. Davidson

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  1. Sara Shishehgar
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Correspondence to Sara Shishehgar.

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Shishehgar, S., Gholizadeh, L., DiGiacomo, M. et al. Health and Socio-Cultural Experiences of Refugee Women: An Integrative Review. J Immigrant Minority Health 19, 959–973 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0379-1

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