Refugee or immigrant women may not feel comfortable seeking help due to mistrust of authority figures, military, police or other officials who may have been perpetrators of abuse in their country of origin.
Pushing for disclosure of traumatic events, such as intimate partner violence, may result in more harm than good.
Gender is a determinant of mental health and mental illness due to the different levels of influence that “…men and women have over the socioeconomic determinants of their mental health and lives, their social position, status and treatment in society."
Gender differences in rates of common mental disorders are not evident; for example, unipolar depression is as common in women as in men.
Studies of recent immigrants in Canada show that males are more likely than females to report emotional problems.
Refugee women are more affected by gender-based violence than any other female population in the world.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is more prevalent in women who belong to a cultural, linguistic or ethnic group.
Refugee or immigrant women with permanent resident status can lose that status or be forced to leave Canada on the basis of leaving an abusive relationship.
Health service providers may not recognize depressive symptoms or may minimize the concerns that immigrant and refugee women face.
Survivors of sexual violence are at high risk of developing mental health problems due to their pre-migration experiences and limited psychosocial supports within resettlement contexts.
Factors associated with depressive symptoms around pregnancy for immigrants and refugees are migration factors and cultural influences.