Studies
This library hosts materials developed by Switchboard and by former Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-funded technical assistance (TA) providers (most in fiscal years 2016-2018, with selected earlier materials). This library links materials externally where: their formats were incompatible with internal hosting; they were developed by current ORR-funded TA providers; or they were developed by non-ORR funded authors who granted permission for the links.
Author Definitions
Free Full TextHealthcare access for Iraqi refugee children in Texas: persistent barriers, potential solutions, and policy implications.
Publication Year: 2015
Outcome area(s): Health
Intervention(s): Case Management
Relevant ORR Program(s): Refugee Health Promotion, Refugee Medical Assistance, Refugee Support Services
Direction of Evidence: Positive impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
To identify access barriers to healthcare and potential interventions to improve access for Iraqi refugee children. Four focus groups were conducted using consecutive sampling of Iraqi refugee parents residing in the US for 8 months to 5 years. Eight key-informant interviews also were conducted with employees of organizations serving Iraqi refugee families, recruited using snowball sampling. Focus …
Free Full TextFindings from an extended case management US refugee resettlement program.
Publication Year: 2015
Outcome area(s): Various
Intervention(s): Extended Case Management
Relevant ORR Program(s): Matching Grant, Preferred Communities, Targeted Assistance, Wilson/Fish
Direction of Evidence: Positive impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
This evaluation considers 434 households that participated in an Extended Case Management program from March 2009 through July 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. Substantial improvements in wellbeing and reductions in needs in relation to health, employment, finances, housing, education, and family/community circumstances were observed over the course of 2 years. Variations …
Findings from an extended case management US refugee resettlement program. Read More »
Free Full TextA systematic review of social service programs serving refugees.
Publication Year: 2019
Outcome area(s): Various
Intervention(s): Refugee Social Services
Relevant ORR Program(s): Matching Grant, Preferred Communities, Targeted Assistance, Wilson/Fish
Direction of Evidence: Inconclusive or mixed impact
Strength of Evidence: Strong
Type of Study: Systematic review
Purpose: The global forced migration crisis calls for responsive, research-supported social services. This systematic review examines available research on social service programs implemented with refugees worldwide. Methods: Through accessing academic databases, reviewing article reference lists and websites, and contacting experts, we identified 1,402 sources, 68 of which met review inclusion criteria and were selected for …
A systematic review of social service programs serving refugees. Read More »
Free Full TextDefining effective care coordination for mental health referrals of refugee populations in the united states
Publication Year: 2018
Outcome area(s): Mental Health
Intervention(s): Referral to treatment
Relevant ORR Program(s): Refugee Health Promotion, Refugee Support Services
Direction of Evidence: Positive impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
Objectives: Refugee populations arriving to the United States report high rates of exposure to trauma and associated psychiatric distress that may necessitate referrals to mental health services. Although refugee arrivals receive a voluntary health screening, mental health screening is not routine. Public health providers report that one barrier to mental health screening concerns uncertainty about how …
Free Full TextIntensive psychotherapy and case management for Karen refugees with major depression in primary care: a pragmatic randomized control trial.
Publication Year: 2020
Outcome(s): Depression Reduction
Intervention(s): Intensive psychotherapy and case management (IPCM)
Relevant ORR Program(s): Refugee Health Promotion, Refugee Support Services
Direction of Evidence: Positive impact
Strength of Evidence: Moderate
Type of Study: Impact evaluation
Background: Despite an unparalleled global refugee crisis, there are almost no studies in primary care addressing real-world conditions and longer courses of treatment that are typical when resettled refugees present to their physician with critical psychosocial needs and complex symptoms. We studied the effects of a year of psychotherapy and case management in a primary …
Free Full TextConnecting refugees to substance use treatment: a qualitative study.
Publication Year: 2016
Outcome(s): Substance Use
Intervention(s): Referral to treatment
Relevant ORR Program(s): Refugee Health Promotion, Refugee Support Services
Direction of Evidence: Positive impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
An emerging body of literature identifies substance use as a growing concern among refugees resettling in the United States. Like immigrants, refugees may face cultural, linguistic, or systems barriers to connecting with mainstream substance use treatment programs, which may be compounded by refugees’ unique experiences with exposure to trauma, displacement in refugee camps, and resettlement. …
Connecting refugees to substance use treatment: a qualitative study. Read More »
Free Full TextCulturally congruent intens2018ive case management service for three refugee communities
Publication Year: 2018
Outcome area(s): Mental Health
Intervention(s): Intensive Case Management (ICM)
Relevant ORR Program(s): Refugee Health Promotion, Refugee Support Services
Direction of Evidence: Inconclusive or mixed impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
In 1999 an intensive case management (ICM) mental health service targeting Afghan, Sri Lankan, and Somali communities was established in Toronto. The program provides culturally and linguistically appropriate ICM. Using administrative data of clients enrolled in the program from 2006 to 2010, we examined the effectiveness of the program by assessing the enrollment status two …
Culturally congruent intens2018ive case management service for three refugee communities Read More »
Paid Full TextOutcomes for Youth Served by the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Foster Care Program: A Pilot Study
Publication Year: 2018
Outcome area(s): Multiple Areas
Intervention(s): Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Programs
Relevant ORR Program(s): Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
Direction of Evidence: Inconclusive or mixed impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
The Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) Foster Care Program annually serves about 1,300 foreign-born youth with legal eligibility. This paper shows results from a cross-sectional, descriptive pilot study (n = 30 interviews) in the domains of education, employment, health, mental health, risky behaviors, and social connections. Results show that most URM youth (86.7%) had graduated from …
Paid Full TextIntegrated behavioral health care for Karen refugees: a qualitative exploration of active ingredients.
Publication Year: 2018
Outcome area(s): Mental Health
Relevant ORR Program(s): Refugee Health Promotion, Refugee Medical Assistance, Refugee Support Services
Direction of Evidence: Positive impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
Free Full TextStrengthening What Works: Preventing Intimate Partner Violence in Immigrant and Refugee Communities
Publication Year: 2014
Outcome area(s): IPV
Intervention(s): Group
Relevant ORR Program(s): Ethnic Community Self-Help Program, Preferred Communities, Refugee Health Promotion, Refugee Support Services, Youth Mentoring
Direction of Evidence: Positive impact
Strength of Evidence: Suggestive
Type of Study: Suggestive evidence
Eight organizations received funds, training, and technical assistance to help them evaluate their intimate partner violence prevention programs and to build their capacity to evaluate other programs in the future. An evaluation of the practices across all of the programs was conducted to understand the implications for other intimate partner violence prevention efforts. The eight …
