Title: Mental health of Iraqi refugee women in Worcester, Massachusetts
Author: Almadbooh, Ronza
Date: May 2014
Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment
This paper investigates the mental health of Iraqi refugee women from the Mandaean sect who live in Worcester, MA. Qualitative data was gathered through focus groups and interviews with Iraqi women refugees of various ages. Two research questions framed the interviews. What happened to the women’s lives when they became refugees in Worcester, Massachusetts after the Iraq war in 2003? What are the challenges they faced during their resettlement in the city? The author argues that poverty, difficult lived conditions and disrupted social cohesion have negatively influenced the mental health of the interviewed women, resulting in increased stress, anxiety and depression.
Keywords: refugees, community groups, immigration services, refugee services, refugee health, mental health, resettlement.
Cataloged by: Amy Totten/ B. J. Perkins