Utilising co-creation in supporting mental health of newly arrived refugees: lessons learned from the TUULI project in Finland
Porta, Niina (2023)
2023
Master's Programme in Public and Global Health
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2023-11-28
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202310319294
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202310319294
Tiivistelmä
This is an article-based master’s thesis consisting of a literature review and a manuscript for a scientific article. The literature review examines prior research on refugees and asylum seekers, focusing on the mental health services available to them, as well as the utilisation of participatory research methods and psychoeducation interventions particularly amongst people with refugee backgrounds. Additionally, there is a chapter delving into the background of the study, introducing the TUULI project that was executed by using the Double Diamond model of service design.
People with refugee backgrounds are often exposed to various stress factors that affect their well-being thus making them especially vulnerable to different mental health issues. Despite of their higher need for mental health services, they often underuse those services mostly due to self-stigma, as it is currently the key barricade for refugees to seek help for mental health problems. Other obstacles for seeking help include public stigma, language barriers, mistrust in the effectiveness of mental health services, long waiting times, unknown health care system and cultural differences in the perception of illness.
The TUULI project, led by Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), was launched in 2019 to respond to the need of providing accessible psychoeducation video material for newly arrived refugees and for professionals working with them. The goal of the TUULI project was to support mental health of newly arrived refugees and to reduce the stigma related to mental health and help-seeking through positive stories told by other people with refugee backgrounds.
The study done for this master’s thesis investigates the co-creation process of the TUULI project and how participants of refugee backgrounds and professionals working with them perceived that process, aiming to provide descriptive information on the usability and appropriateness of co-creation in research and development. Furthermore, the study investigates factors needed to be considered to enable meaningful participation and to ensure experience-of-inclusion, thus contributing to the existing basis of knowledge of principles and good practises of using participatory methods within cultural and linguistic minorities.
This study is of great importance, since participatory research methods have not been empirically examined in THL before, although they have long been utilised in their research and development projects. Furthermore, there is a shortage of strong evidence regarding the use of participatory development and evaluation methods specifically involving cultural and linguistic minorities in the Finnish context.
The data were collected by semi-structured, in-depth interviews from 10 participants. The data were analysed with thematic analysis. The key themes pertaining to factors that need to be considered were centred on personal factors, cultural factors, factors related to the community and societal factors. The results are consistent with previous research findings. Participants had mostly positive perceptions of the co-creation process; they felt heard, included and safe enough to share their opinions and to express their view. According to them, the project was executed, managed, and planned in a satisfactory manner, leading to gains on both personal and professional levels. Issues and challenges included technical issues, communication breakdowns, prolonged duration, and the feeling of insufficient inclusion of the target group in shaping the agenda and content of the project.
The findings highlight the importance of a thorough and multifaceted approach in development projects involving cultural and linguistic minorities. This includes the active engagement of the community under investigation, fostering effective and continuous interactive communication as well as ensuring the provision of feedback to participants.
People with refugee backgrounds are often exposed to various stress factors that affect their well-being thus making them especially vulnerable to different mental health issues. Despite of their higher need for mental health services, they often underuse those services mostly due to self-stigma, as it is currently the key barricade for refugees to seek help for mental health problems. Other obstacles for seeking help include public stigma, language barriers, mistrust in the effectiveness of mental health services, long waiting times, unknown health care system and cultural differences in the perception of illness.
The TUULI project, led by Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), was launched in 2019 to respond to the need of providing accessible psychoeducation video material for newly arrived refugees and for professionals working with them. The goal of the TUULI project was to support mental health of newly arrived refugees and to reduce the stigma related to mental health and help-seeking through positive stories told by other people with refugee backgrounds.
The study done for this master’s thesis investigates the co-creation process of the TUULI project and how participants of refugee backgrounds and professionals working with them perceived that process, aiming to provide descriptive information on the usability and appropriateness of co-creation in research and development. Furthermore, the study investigates factors needed to be considered to enable meaningful participation and to ensure experience-of-inclusion, thus contributing to the existing basis of knowledge of principles and good practises of using participatory methods within cultural and linguistic minorities.
This study is of great importance, since participatory research methods have not been empirically examined in THL before, although they have long been utilised in their research and development projects. Furthermore, there is a shortage of strong evidence regarding the use of participatory development and evaluation methods specifically involving cultural and linguistic minorities in the Finnish context.
The data were collected by semi-structured, in-depth interviews from 10 participants. The data were analysed with thematic analysis. The key themes pertaining to factors that need to be considered were centred on personal factors, cultural factors, factors related to the community and societal factors. The results are consistent with previous research findings. Participants had mostly positive perceptions of the co-creation process; they felt heard, included and safe enough to share their opinions and to express their view. According to them, the project was executed, managed, and planned in a satisfactory manner, leading to gains on both personal and professional levels. Issues and challenges included technical issues, communication breakdowns, prolonged duration, and the feeling of insufficient inclusion of the target group in shaping the agenda and content of the project.
The findings highlight the importance of a thorough and multifaceted approach in development projects involving cultural and linguistic minorities. This includes the active engagement of the community under investigation, fostering effective and continuous interactive communication as well as ensuring the provision of feedback to participants.