Hasanovic, Melissa (2014) Adult Immigrant Experiences of Mental Health Services in Australia. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Immigrants experience numerous mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; American Psychological Association, 2013). Research of mental health of immigrants has shown that refugees are most vulnerable to psychological distress and are ten times more likely to have PTSD than native populations (Fazel, Wheeler, & Danesh, 2005), yet despite this, immigrants do not utilise mental health services (MHS) in their new country (Boufous, Silove, Bauman, & Steel, 2005). The purpose of this study was to examine adult immigrants’ experiences of accessing MHS in Australia to understand better what facilitate and obstruct their use of these services. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used and semi-structured interviews were conducted with three immigrant participants, who have experienced some psychological distress and have accessed MHS in Australia for help. The analysis revealed six themes to include the following barriers: lack of knowledge of English language and communication difficulties; access to services; stigma and confidentiality; and cultural issues. Another two themes denote service facilitators that include: information about services; and positive experiences from counselling sessions. Immigrants experience a number of barriers to the use of MHS upon arrival and years after resettlement. Findings from this research implicate the need for more mental health professionals who specialise in refugee-related issues, and more culturally competent services. Information about services can make access to the services easier for immigrants, while positive experiences in counselling sessions are important for continuity of therapy.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology, Counselling and Community (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2014) |
| Supervisors: | Heather Warfield |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Oct 2025 04:16 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Oct 2025 04:16 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Immigrants; refugees; mental health services; access; facilitators; barriers; |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52398 |
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