Twentieth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Refugees who have arrived in the US since the 1980s are now growing older, and little interventions have addressed the long-term mental health needs and behaviors specific to this population. The aim of this study is to present the process and lessons learned of an ongoing community-based research study that aims to understand the mental health needs and service use of older adult refugees in a local Southern California community. The purpose of this study is to partner with an Ethnic-Community Based Organization (ECBO) to implement a feasible pilot intervention to address unmet mental health care needs in this population. We utilized a Community-Based Collaborative Action Research (CBCAR) approach, planned in three phases: 1) interviews with faith leaders, key informants, and other stakeholders, 2) collaboratively develop a pilot intervention informed by findings in phase 1, and 3) implement and test the proposed pilot intervention that is perceived to be acceptable and feasible for the community. Findings: This study ultimately seeks to measure the impact of a registered nurse navigator that would address key challenges for older adult refugees: poor care coordination in the “mental health care cascade” and stigma of stand-alone Western mental health services. We show how using ‘critical friends’ from within the partner organization helps to raise the community organization as a partner in the research process. In urban settings, limited partnerships exist between academic and refugee-serving institutions that elevate marginalized communities as research partners, but is essential to inclusivity and the identification of meaningful and effective interventions.