Notes
Community organizations: N/a
Future research / gaps identified:
The majority of participants were economic immigrants.
Key populations: African immigrant men in Lethbridge
Integration timeline: Not defined
Key findings:
Central Theme: Lost in Transition – African men’s mental distress and pathways of navigating sadness post-migration
Sub-themes included:
1) Contextual determinants of depression experiences (i.e. nostalgia, employment, racial discrimination, gender roles and norms, housing and financial barriers)
2) Impact of migration challenges on mental health (psychological, behavioral and physical impacts)
3) Coping through ventilation and insulation (i.e. building social support networks, avoidance or dissociation, religion/spirituality, learning to live in Canada)
4) Interplay of masculinities and culture (cultural constructions around masculinity, masculinity as a double-edged sword of both a coping strategy and a source of depression, perception of depression, masculinity and help-seeking behavior)
Key recommendations:
1) Explore cultural safety approaches to support African immigrant men as suggested by the men themselves.
2) Design interventions to better support and enhance African men’s mental well-being.
