"We were Already in Lockdown" : Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Australia - Mental Health, Social Isolation, Abandonment, and Financial Precarity
Journal article
Trew, Sebastian, Couch, Jennifer Rose, Cox, Jillian and Cinque, Vivien. (2023). "We were Already in Lockdown" : Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Australia - Mental Health, Social Isolation, Abandonment, and Financial Precarity. Health and Social Care in the Community. 2023, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6650961
Authors | Trew, Sebastian, Couch, Jennifer Rose, Cox, Jillian and Cinque, Vivien |
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Abstract | The aim of this study was to give a voice to people from asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore their perspectives concerning their experiences of everyday life. The findings highlight the impacts the pandemic had on these groups, how it exacerbated existing vulnerabilities, worsened mental health, increased social isolation, affirmed a sense of abandonment, and heightened financial precarity. The study adhered to a social constructivist approach. It used a qualitative methodology guided by a narrative research approach. Semistructured in-depth interviews with thirteen participants were thematically analyzed to generate a global theme and subthemes. For people from asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds in Australia, the government-mandated lockdown measures led to increased feelings of loneliness and loss of social support networks, reduced access to public spaces, and limited engagement in face-to-face activities and opportunities for socializing and maintaining mental well-being. The pandemic intensified domestic partner violence incidents and financial stress emerged as a major concern. Participants lost or had reduced employment, and many were ineligible for government financial support. These challenges intersected with preexisting hardships which contributed to feelings of abandonment. Based on the findings, implications include the need for inclusive policies and targeted healthcare support, measures to prevent and respond to partner violence, and inclusive financial assistance schemes that address the unique needs of people from asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds in Australia. Further research is needed to inform therapeutic supports and trauma-informed services for these groups. |
Keywords | COVID-19; Pandemic; Asylum Seekers; Refugees ; Australia; experiences |
Year | 01 Jan 2023 |
Journal | Health and Social Care in the Community |
Journal citation | 2023, pp. 1-10 |
Publisher | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. (UK) |
ISSN | 0966-0410 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6650961 |
Web address (URL) | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2023/6650961 |
Open access | Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 1-10 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 24 Nov 2023 |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 14 Nov 2023 |
Deposited | 26 Aug 2024 |
Additional information | Copyright © 2023 Sebastian Trew et al. |
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. | |
Place of publication | United Kingdom |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/90x25/-we-were-already-in-lockdown-exploring-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-asylum-seekers-and-refugees-in-australia-mental-health-social-isolation-abandonment-and-financial-precarity
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Publisher's version
OA_Trew_We_were_already_in_lockdown_exploring.pdf | |
License: CC BY 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
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