Funding: EU-Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)

Duration: 01.01.2022 – 31.12.2024

Further information: https://www.mhealth4all.eu/

Background:

Mental health problems affect about 84 million people across the EU. Refugees and other migrants are particularly at risk of developing mental health problems due to stressors they encounter before, during, and after their migration process. Prevalence rates for some mental health problems, such as posttraumatic stress and psychotic disorders, are higher among refugees and migrants compared to non-migrant populations. Even though many refugees and migrants need treatment for their mental health problems, they have great difficulties in accessing mental healthcare services, particularly those who do not speak the dominant language of their host country. Furthermore, if they succeed in gaining access to mental healthcare services, treatment often lacks cultural and linguistic sensitivity, resulting in inadequate care.

In this project, 13 partners from 9 European countries will develop, test, and implement a multilingual, culturally-sensitive, evidence-based digital information and communication platform in mental healthcare. This platform aims to reduce the negative impact of linguistic and cultural barriers in accessing mental healthcare services for refugees and migrants. The platform will be based on evidence regarding the availability of high-quality language resources, stakeholders’ needs, and barriers, and proven effective intercultural communication strategies. Refugees and migrants, their caregivers, interpreters, intercultural mediators, and mental healthcare professionals and organizations are the main stakeholders to benefit from this new resource.

Expected outcomes of this project are:

• A resource repository primarily targeted at healthcare providers included in the open-access digital platform to enhance their knowledge of how to access language support in mental healthcare services.
• A set of education and communication strategies addressing these barriers and needs.
• A set of recommendations regarding the suitable integration of automated translation as a macro-strategy integrated into more comprehensive solutions for accessing mental healthcare.
• A number of multilingual educational videos (around 3-5 minutes each), whose content will be based on the most severe barriers, salient needs, and recommended communication strategies.
• A number of educational videos (minimum of 10, around 2-3 minutes each), whose content will correspond with identified high-quality resources to mitigate the language barrier in mental healthcare.
• An open-access information and communication platform. If the process and effect-evaluation yield positive results, the platform will be disseminated into the wider community to stimulate uptake for any refugee and migrant patient group in Europe.

Project staff:

• Mike Mösko, Prof. Dr. phil., Dipl.‐Psych., project manager, mmoesko@uke.de
• Saskia Hanft-Robert, M.Sc. Psychologie, research assistant, s.hanft-robert@uke.de

Project partner:

• University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• Universidad de Alcalá (Spain)
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
• University Of Surrey (UK)
• Vilniaus Universitetas (Lithuania)
• Stichting Gezondheid Allochtonen Nederland (The Netherlands)
• Uniwersytet Warszawski (Poland)
• Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre (Slovakia)
• Università degli studi di Genova (Italy)
• Associatie Marokkaanse Artsen Nederland (The Netherlands)
• European Network For Public Service Interpreting And Translation
• Stowarzyszenie na Rzecz Wspierania Psychiatrii Dzieci I Mlodziezy Vis-a-Vis