Young people (aged 12-25) from refugee backgrounds are at significantly higher risk of mental health issues than the general population. Social determinants of health likely contribute to this inequity, though there is limited research that has explicitly examined this.
This national collaboration involves twelve key refugee, mental health and community organisations, and a multidisciplinary mix of experienced Chief and Associate Investigators, representing researchers, service providers, policy makers and community members. Using a multi-method research design, the project aims to better understand the social determinants of mental health for this group of young people. This includes secondary data analysis of the Building a New Life in Australia longitudinal database and the data linkage Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA). The project also involves in-depth interviews with refugee young people and their families, and consultations with community/religious leaders, mental health practitioners/other service providers and refugee young people. Finally, using a co-design process the project seeks to develop and pilot a social determinants screening tool for refugee youth and develop a prevention, early intervention and treatment framework.
The evidence gathered across these elements of the research will inform policy and practice recommendations to incorporate an understanding of social determinants of health to improve mental health outcomes for young people from refugee backgrounds.
Project team
- Dr Ignacio Correa-Velez (QUT)
- Professor Anna Ziersch (CIA, Flinders University)
- Professor Sharon Lawn (Flinders University)
- Associate Professor Clemence Due (University of Adelaide)
- Associate Professor Lillian Mwanri (Torrens University of Adelaide)
- Associate Professor Karen Block (University of Melbourne)
- Professor Michaela Hynie (York University)
- Associate Professor Shahid Ullah (Flinders University)
- Ms Enaam Oudih (Relationships Australia South Australia)
- Ms Nadia Son
Project partners
- Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA)
- Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT)
- Queensland African Communities Council (QACC)
- Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service, SA (STTARS)
- Foundation House (Vic)
- Lived Experience Australia
- Refugee Health Service (SA)
- Australian Refugee Association
- Afri-Aus Care
- Islamic Society of South Australia
- Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN)
- Australian Institute of Family Studies
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
Project funding
