Summary

The study aims to explore COVID-19-driven societal impacts on companion animal guardians living with (dis)Abilities relating to veterinary medical and behavioral service access. Companion animal guardians with (dis)Abilities are expected to confront more challenges than their counterparts without (dis)Abilities. However, current research rarely investigated COVID-19-specific impacts on access to veterinary medical and behavioral services from the lens of persons with (dis)Abilities (PWDs). This study used in-depth interviews to qualitatively illustrate that: (1) COVID-19 has worsened PWDs' already precarious financial capacity to pay for veterinary services; (2) Existing social support programs do not effectively address PWDs' unique requirements, supporting a healthy human-animal bond; and (3) Curbside veterinary services triggered extra emotional burden towards PWDs. This study suggests that building PWD-driven social assistance and support programs would help reduce these barriers and promote a healthy human-animal bond.

Keywords (separate with commas)

People living with (dis)Abilities, Companion animal guardians, human-animal bond, COVID-19, Challenges 

Summary

Most community-based settlement services generally treat new immigrants as a homogeneous group. Addressing the interplay between the new immigrants’ ethnicities and their patterns of accessing settlement services remains under-researched, jeopardizing newcomers’ community social engagement in the new environments. Contextualizing the settlement services\ before and during COVID-19, this project examined the role of new immigrants’ ethnicities in participating in virtual and in-person settlement services.\ An online survey recruited 122 newcomers in Metro Vancouver, Canada, to investigate\ the correlations between their ethnicities, the immigration programs they accessed, and their assessments of the importance, challenges, and key benefit of using in-person and virtual settlement services before and during COVID-19, respectively. The results confirm the statistically significant relationships between ethnicity and the five investigated factors pre- and peri-COVID-19.\ This study argues that engaging ethnicity in developing settlement services would better meet clients’ unique needs and support their social and economic integration. It supports settlement service agencies and providers to improve their services to better support newcomers’ post-COVID-19 community engagement and build their cope capacity for future extreme events.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

settlement services, ethnicities, in-person, virtual, community engagement, emergency management

Summary

In recent years, Turkey has received an influx of refugees due to conflicts within the surrounding region, particularly in Syria. Turkey is currently home to over 3.6 million refugees from Syria and nearly 322,000 from other countries. With focus on and prioritized funding for the larger population of Syrians, non-Syrian refugees receive less government and media attention, resulting in inequities and substantial challenges experienced by this community. There is a significant need to understand the experiences of non-Syrian refugees residing in Turkey. This mixed-methods study explores the well-being, needs, and existing strengths and support systems of non-Syrian refugee communities in Turkey. Data were collected from refugees and asylum seekers through electronic surveys and focus group discussions. Survey of service providers served as another data point for triangulation. Themes of difficulty accessing protection, healthcare, fair employment, housing, education and other basic needs were identified. A tiered system of the treatment of refugees was revealed, with black refugees describing their experiences as “worse than slavery” as they navigated intersecting forms of marginalization associated with their various racial, ethnic, religious and cultural identities. The findings of this study highlight the importance of protecting all human rights regardless of nationality, race, age, gender, religious and other identities. Lack of financial support from governments and international community to address basic needs and protect all human rights, as well as the politicization of response to refugees by governments, are of greatest concern. The study has important implications for policy and programming around response to needs of various groups of refugees.

Keywords (separate with commas)

refugees, asylum seekers, Turkey, diversity

Summary

In Uganda, approximately 14 million people, or 35% of the population, are currently facing mental health challenges exacerbated by various factors such as post-COVID-19 trauma, protracted conflicts, migration, and poverty. The Uganda Ministry of Health has identified depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, HIV-related dementia, alcohol disorder, and anxiety as the most prevalent mental health issues in public and private hospitals. However, stigma surrounding mental health, a lack of resources and access to information, and inadequate funding (less than 1% of the total health budget) continue to hinder effective mental health care in the country.Despite regional and international commitments to prioritize mental health services, inclusive interventions remain limited. The National Association of Social Workers of Uganda (NASWU) is working to address these gaps by providing support to frontline social workers through mentorship, webinars, and mental health conferences. By focusing on reducing stigma, hopelessness, distress, and trauma, NASWU aims to strengthen community systems and improve mental health service delivery, particularly in disaster and post-disaster situations.NASWU's efforts have shown positive results, with reports indicating reduced stigma, distress, and trauma, as well as improved community mental health services. Through initiatives like a national virtual advocacy campaign, NASWU has helped frontline social workers enhance the efficiency of mental health services and build resilience among individuals, families, and communities. Moving forward, NASWU plans to continue collaborating with the Uganda Ministry of Health, social work agencies, universities, and civil society to expand their inclusive mental health interventions and scale up their impact.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Covid-19, mental health, trauma