Stress and mental health of African refugees in South Africa : moderating roles of coping, social support and resilience

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the mental health of African refugees in South Africa and to understand how well refugees cope with their circumstances. In addition, it aimed at exploring the moderating roles of coping, social support and resilience of African refugees. Three hypotheses were tested viz (i) Comparing the relationship between refugees' perceived stress and mental health (ii) assess coping strategy, social support and resilience with perceived stress and mental health and (iii) comparing the mental health of female refugees with male refugees. The study followed a quantitative approach using a questionnaire. A Validated questionnaire was used to measure mental health, perceived stress, coping, social support and resilience. Three hundred and forty (340) participants, 203 male (59.7%) and 137 female (40.3%), participants were randomly selected through age and sex stratification from the register list at the African Diaspora forum, in Yeoville, a suburb of Johannesburg, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. The age of participants was 18years and above. The first hypothesis was tested with Pearson's product moment correlation, the second hypothesis was tested with a moderated hierarchical multiple regression on the data, and the third hypothesis was analysed with attest. Results for hypothesis one showed a significant negative relationship between perceived stress and mental health, (r = -599, p< .001). As refugees are perceiving higher levels of stress, their mental health was decreasing. However, the second hypothesis suggested that coping, social support, and resilience would moderate the relationship between perceived stress and mental health. The Results for hypothesis two revealed that perceived stress, (P = -.544); coping, (P = .143); social support (P = -.158) and resilience (P = -.294), independently and significantly accounted for variation in mental health of the refugees. A test of moderation hypothesis in the model indicated that the variables (coping and perceived stress) explained 20.45% of the total variance in mental health. These two variables jointly influence and predict mental health in the model (P = 20.45, p< .001). The interactions of perceived stress and social support and that of perceived stress and resilience were excluded from the regression equation. Finally results for the third hypothesis showed that female refugees reported poorer mental health than male refugees. In conclusion, the study contributed to the body of knowledge by showing that in the presence of stress, challenges to mental health can be reduced due to moderating variables of coping, social support and resilience. It was also found that coping and perceived stress reduce the risk of mental health issues among refugees. Females were also found to exhibit poor mental health issues than male refugees. Periodical workshops and a motivational plan based on cognitive intervention must be organised and offered to refugees. Mental health care should be given priority in the South African health care system. Other recommendations were made in line with the findings of the study.