Exploring mental health support for refugees residing in Manitoba: A peacebuilding perspective

Abstract

The tremendous challenges that refugees face prior, during, and after their arrival in Canada can strongly impact their mental health and this deserves the attention of peace and conflict studies scholars. Therefore, the goal of this study was to explore the mental health support provided to refugees in Manitoba as part of the peacebuilding process. This was accomplished by investigating the mental health challenges that refugees face and the mental health support services provided to them. Further, this study explored the barriers refugees encounter in accessing mental health services and the alternative coping strategies they employ in managing stressors that affect their mental health. To achieve this goal, the study adopted a qualitative research approach. A total of five participants were selected using a snowball sampling technique. Through semi-structured interviews, the study collected highly personalized data from members of the refugee community in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The collected data was then presented as direct quotes or transformed into poetry before being analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Furthermore, secondary data was gathered by analyzing peer-reviewed journals and literature reviews related to the research topic.