Hello and thank you for joining me today. I am Amid. I will be presenting a qualitative
account of the digital mental health experiences of women from refugee backgrounds. We conducted
this research in partnership with a women-led charitable organisation in the UK. We used
a set of visual cards to explore mental health needs. The design of the cards aims to support
both researchers and participants in sharing and understanding mental health views and
experiences. For example, the first card illustrates a holistic mental health understanding. It
says: Mental health is something we all have. People from all over the world think and talk
about their mental health in many ways. Each card comes with an open-ended question to
facilitate conversations. For example: What thoughts come to mind when you hear the term
mental health? The fourth visual card covers coping strategies. For example, we asked the
question: What do you do when you have had a tough day? The last card acknowledges that
digital technologies can also affect our mental health in different ways. It shows questions,
such as: What are your favourite technologies? And are there any technologies that you avoid?
As this work was conducted at the time of COVID-19 lockdown measures we used an online
survey to present the visual cards. We closely worked with two community workers who piloted
the study and shared our research advert within the community for women from refugee backgrounds.
15 participants completed the online survey. Nine participants decided to take part in
the follow-up interview. Ten participants described their ethnic background as African;
three as Asian; and two as White. Participants reported experiencing a wide range of mental
health challenges, including stigma, loneliness, and uncertainty. For example, a participant
described her fear of receiving mail in case they had to do with her residency status:
She said: So, the letters in the post definitely scare me a lot, so keeping these thoughts
makes me uncomfortable. Same like, so you get scared sometimes, what s going to happen?
Participants accounts document their collective agency in addressing these challenges and
supporting social connectedness and wellbeing in daily life. For example, participants reported
that they enjoyed volunteering for and taking part in community activities, such as yoga,
reading, and art classes. One participant used the term tribe to describe her sense
of social connectedness and belonging. Another participant reflected on her experience within
the community - quote: everybody s the same. They treat us the same - which highlights
a sense of equality. Technology played an important role in supporting experiences of
social connectedness. The charitable organisation went through a digital transformation during
lockdown measures. For example, a community worker explained: Technology [...], it helps
so much that it changed our lives Community workers formed a network of WhatsApp groups
and taught their members how to use Zoom. However, they also highlighted digital inequalities,
including a lack of multilingual support and access to internet connected technologies.
Instead of using mental health apps, such as Headspace, participants reported using
a wide range of non-mental health-focused apps. For example, one participant used Instagram
to learn about empowerment and independence. She reported: There is this lady, and she
s a mum of four kids and really, she is very independent she empowers the women to be,
You can do it, you can be anything, you can do everything. In summary, we have investigated
the mental health needs of women from refugee backgrounds in partnership with a charitable
organisation. Our findings highlight the collective agency of the charitable organisation and
their volunteers in supporting experiences of social connectedness and wellbeing. The
charitable organisation provided safe spaces for social exchange; offered volunteering
opportunities; and organised regular events, such as yoga and dancing classes; In addition,
they tackled digital inequalities through organising donations of laptops and mediating
digital skills (e.g., how to use WhatsApp and Zoom). Importantly, participants reported
adopting these mental health supportive activities in daily life, such as practicing yoga and
organising social cooking events with friends and family. They intertwined community-driven
activities with self-care practices and used a wide range of non-mental health-focused
technologies to support their mental health For example, participants used apps to support
religious practices, play games, and share experiences of everyday living within private
groups. These findings contribute to shifts from narratives that are predefined by people
s refugee status to more nuanced accounts that document people s lived experience with
their vigour, skills, and aspirations. Based on this understanding, we highlight the importance
of exploring community-led approaches to foster inherently social mental health experiences,
from altruism to connectedness and belonging. We need to support charitable organisations
and their volunteering networks in addressing digital inequalities and strengthening their
mental health supportive initiatives.