Shared Communities: A Multinational Qualitative Study of Immigrant and Receiving Community Members

From struggle to hope: A gender-sensitive investigation on Nigerian male and female asylum seekers' experiences

The study presents a qualitative and culturally-sensitive investigation of the lived experiences of the forced migration of six Nigerian asylum seekers, three men and three women, hosted in Italy. Through a focus on gender identity issues, the study aimed to explore possible gender differences between participants and define their specific needs, requirements and characteristics. Overall, the gender-focused perspective through which we explored participants' subjective experiences has enriched our understanding of their unique life stories, shedding light on the psychic dimensions as well as on the social and cultural inscriptions of their gender identity and providing insights on the different ways in which Nigerian women and men made sense of their experiences of displacement, migration, violence and trauma.

The impact of public policies on acculturation: A mixed-method study of Latinx immigrants' experiences in four US states

AIMS

This study sought to understand the impact of public policies on Latinx immigrants' acculturation.

METHODS

Four hundred thirty-eight first generation Latinx immigrants completed survey measures and a subset (n = 73) participated in 12 focus groups across four US states with distinct immigration-related policies: Arizona, New Mexico, Maryland, and Virginia.

RESULTS

Latinx immigrants living in states with more restrictive immigration-related public policies were less likely to make cultural changes in the ways they desired. Policies impacted acculturation directly by requiring and restricting certain cultural expressions, and indirectly through cultivating the community's climate. Multiple factors appeared to shape policies' influences on acculturation, including confusion from swift policy changes, inconsistent policy implementation, competing policies at divergent ecological levels, and individuals' relative privilege from intersecting personal characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

More inclusive and supportive immigration-related policies may improve Latinx immigrants' abilities to acculturate in their preferred ways.

Migrant women and gender-based violence: Focus group with operators

Gender violence is the most important factor that leads women refugees and asylum seekers to leave their country and is one of the main risks to which the migration journey exposes them. To the multidimensional trauma of migration is added the complex trauma of gender violence making migrant women even more vulnerable. This study, aimed to investigate meanings of experience of the operators who deal with migrant women in Southern Italy. For the purpose of the study, we use the Focus Group, for data collection and the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyze the data. The study confirms the need to structure specific paths for the well-being of forced migrant women victims of violence that respect gender dynamics and cultural differences. In particular, in the context of the transcultural clinic, it will be demonstrated that focus groups are a useful resource and propose the construction of "métissée" spaces.

Psychological and Structural Barriers to Immigrant Community Participation: The Experience of Peruvians in Santiago de Chile

Community participation can be considered a pillar for the promotion of social justice and well-being for immigrants in new countries. Participation may be influenced by different forms of oppression which decrease opportunities for immigrants to be engaged. The present study explores the difficulties that Peruvian immigrants encountered and still encountering to participate in Santiago de Chile through in-depth qualitative interviews. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with Peruvian leaders of Ethnic Community Based Organizations (ECBOs) in Santiago de Chile. Interviews focused on the community engagement of Peruvians highlighting the difficulties they encountered when deciding whether to engage and throughout the process of carrying out their commitment, along with their perceptions when trying to engage their compatriots. The present study contributes to the literature in three aspects. First, it focused on the phenomenon of South-South migration. Secondly, it delved into the psychological and structural barriers that immigrants' experience, considering their disadvantaged conditions. Thirdly, it used Situational Analysis, along with the constructionist drift of Grounded Theory, which is widely used in critical, qualitative research, and is sensitive to producing situated knowledge. Coding and mapping analysis identified experiences related to historical trauma, transnational bonds, and dominant master narratives in both countries as well as challenges due to balancing time and priorities, surviving institutional deterrents, and inter-organizations competitiveness. Finally, transnational commitments, mechanisms of social disconnection, and under valuated rights that Peruvians may live in Chile were pointed out. These results intend to have practical implications for immigrants and for community psychologists.

Barriers to and facilitators of community participation among Latinx migrants with disabilities in the United States and Latinx migrant workers in Canada: An ecological analysis

Individuals migrate to improve their wellbeing and quality of life, and often experience adverse situations, both during the process of migration and once within the host country. The purpose of this paper is to unpack the barriers to and facilitators of community participation, among Latinx immigrants with disabilities in the United States and Latinx migrant workers in Canada, following the Social Ecological Model. The authors draw from an appraisal of existing literature and their own participatory research with Latinx immigrants. Based on this integrative literature review, Latinx experience individual issues such as language barriers and lack of knowledge of the services available to them. At the community level they experience discrimination, limited opportunities for community participation, and lack of opportunities for meaningful employment. At the systemic and policy level in the United States, the antimigrant political environment keeps Latinx immigrants with disabilities from participating in their communities due to fear of deportation. In Canada, Latinx workers experience the paradox of migration and discrimination. The discussion of barriers and facilitators is followed by recommendations for community research and action.

Building Communities in Tense Times: Fostering Connectedness Between Cultures and Generations through Community Arts

The worldwide upsurge in social polarizations generates intercommunity tensions that challenge the social fabric of urban neighborhoods and undermine the relationships between their members. Because community arts can foster the creation of connections between people that would not have been in contact otherwise, they are often perceived as being powerful tools to foster community resilience. Through a multiple case study approach, this article describes how three community arts projects, carried out in two socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods of Montreal (Canada), influenced the social relationships between participants from diverse ethnocultural backgrounds and generations. Using participant observation and arts-based data collection methods (photography, video, and arts productions), the authors examine how the three projects illustrate (a) the interactive processes at play, (b) the transmission and hybridization of stories and images of adversity and resiliency, and (c) the access to a collective voice.