‘Putting your feet in gloves designed for hands’: Horn of Africa Muslim men perspectives in emotional wellbeing and access to mental health services in Australia

Abstract

Refugees from the Horn of Africa have often experienced trauma in their country of origin due to prolonged civil wars. Many face emotional difficulties posed by acculturation challenges when settling in a new country. As the Horn of Africa population grows in Australia, there is a need to know how to best promote the wellbeing and mental health of Horn of Africa refugees. This paper examines Horn of Africa Muslim men’s (HAMM) understanding, experiences and views on the causes of emotional difficulties, barriers to seeking help, access to mainstream mental health services and traditional African treatments in the Australian context. Five focus-group interviews of HAMM from the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne were conducted and ethnographic, qualitative and thematic analysis was used. Emotional difficulties of HAMM in the Australian context were attributed to immigration and settlement-linked stressors such as unemployment, racism, gender role reversal and raising children. Barriers for not seeking help included lack of mental health literacy and negative perceptions of mainstream services. Existing treatments included social and religious practices, with some differences between young and older men. Cultural treatment strategies to assist with people affected with emotional difficulties were more commonly utilized compared to Australian mainstream services.