Exploring Afghan Refugees' Post-Resettlement Experiences in North America: A Scoping Review.
Hasina Amanzai, Betty Q Wang, Cristina Catallo and 9 others
PMID 41671316WHAT IT FOUND
Afghan refugees in North America reported language barriers, miscommunication, and avoidance of cancer screening.
Women preferred female providers and interpreters, and family support, provider reminders, and prayer encouraged screening. Mental health symptoms were common, but no interventions were tested.
Key findings
01Afghan refugees reported frequent barriers to healthcare: language, miscommunication, low health literacy, transportation, and financial constraints.
02Afghan women often avoided cancer screening because they saw cancer as fatal and feared shame, but family support, provider reminders, and prayer helped some women engage. Women also preferred female providers and interpreters.
03A survey of 49 Afghan refugees in Canada found 53.1% had scores deemed detectable for PTSD, while psychological distress levels were inconsistent across studies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a scoping review without formal quality appraisal, so the included studies were not rated for methodological strength. Only 17 studies were included, and the review searched English-language publications from 2014 to 2024, so relevant studies in other languages, earlier periods, or other regions may be missing. The evidence was mostly from the United States, with few Canadian studies and no Mexican studies, so it may not reflect all North American settlement systems. No study protocol or registration was available. Most included studies examined mental health, and men's healthcare experiences were not studied, so other resettlement needs and healthcare experiences are underexplored. Samples were mostly adults, so the review offers limited insight into Afghan children and youth. Psychological distress estimates were inconsistent, and some instruments were not validated for Afghan populations, so mental health levels are uncertain. The PTSD prevalence estimate came from a small, non-randomized survey of 49 adults at a community health clinic.
Declared interests
The authors reported no financial support and declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the 53.1% PTSD figure as a population prevalence for Afghan refugees in North America. It came from one non-randomized survey of 49 adults at a community health clinic, and distress findings were inconsistent because many measures were not validated for Afghan populations.