Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Immigrants and Refugees

In the year 2001, the foreign-born population in the United States increased by almost 1.6 million, or approximately 5 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This continues the record-breaking levels of the 1990s, when over 13 million immigrants entered the country. Many of these immigrants and refugees have endured significant hardships in their native countries, including poverty, war trauma, and persecution; but few may have anticipated the family stressors that awaited them in their new homeland. Resettling in a new country brings a unique set of mental health challenges for immigrants and refugees. Most immigrant parents who arrive in new communities are faced with immediate challenges to their survival – securing a job, finding a place to live, buying food, and enrolling their children in school.