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Encouraging understanding or increasing prejudices: A cross-sectional survey of institutional influence on health personnel attitudes about refugee claimants' access to health care

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  • Cécile Rousseau
  • Youssef Oulhote
  • Mónica Ruiz-Casares
  • Janet Cleveland
  • Christina Greenaway

Abstract

Background: This paper investigates the personal, professional and institutional predictors of health institution personnel's attitudes regarding access to healthcare for refugee claimants in Canada. Methods: In Montreal, the staff of five hospitals and two primary care centres (n = 1772) completed an online questionnaire documenting demographics, occupation, exposure to refugee claimant patients, and attitudes regarding healthcare access for refugee claimants. We used structural equations modeling to investigate the associations between professional and institutional factors with latent functions of positive and negative attitudes toward refugee's access to healthcare. Results: Younger participants, social workers, participants from primary care centres, and from 1st migrant generation had the lowest scores of negative attitudes. Respondents who experienced contact with refugees had lower scores of negative attitudes (B = -14% standard deviation [SD]; 95% CI: -24, -4%). However, direct contact with refugees increased scores of negative attitudes in the institution with the most negative attitudes by 36% SD (95% CI: 1, 71%). Interpretation: Findings suggest that institutions influence individuals’ attitudes about refugee claimants’ access to health care and that, in an institutional context of negative attitudes, contact with refugees may further confirm negative perceptions about this vulnerable group.

Suggested Citation

  • Cécile Rousseau & Youssef Oulhote & Mónica Ruiz-Casares & Janet Cleveland & Christina Greenaway, 2017. "Encouraging understanding or increasing prejudices: A cross-sectional survey of institutional influence on health personnel attitudes about refugee claimants' access to health care," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0170910
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170910
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vanthuyne, Karine & Meloni, Francesca & Ruiz-Casares, Monica & Rousseau, Cécile & Ricard-Guay, Alexandra, 2013. "Health workers' perceptions of access to care for children and pregnant women with precarious immigration status: Health as a right or a privilege?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 78-85.
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    1. Tuomisto, Karolina & Tiittala, Paula & Keskimäki, Ilmo & Helve, Otto, 2019. "Refugee crisis in Finland: Challenges to safeguarding the right to health for asylum seekers," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(9), pages 825-832.
    2. Solina Richter & Helen Vallianatos & Jacqueline Green & Chioma Obuekwe, 2020. "Intersection of Migration and Access to Health Care: Experiences and Perceptions of Female Economic Migrants in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-11, May.
    3. Marion Heyeres & Nirukshi Perera & Hyacinth Udah & Akpene Attakey & Mary Whiteside & Komla Tsey, 2021. "Interventions Targeting the Wellbeing of Migrant Youths: A Systematic Review of the Literature," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, September.
    4. Daisy Michelle Princeton & Ida Marie Bregård & Marianne Annion & Gine Shooghi & Gitte Rom & Brynja Örlygsdóttir & Hildur Sigurðardóttir & Riita Kuismin & Joonas Korhonen & Sezer Kisa, 2021. "Mental Health Challenges of Young Labor Migrants from the Healthcare Professionals Perspective: Lessons Learned from a Multi-Country Meeting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-5, September.
    5. Chase, Liana E. & Cleveland, Janet & Beatson, Jesse & Rousseau, Cécile, 2017. "The gap between entitlement and access to healthcare: An analysis of “candidacy” in the help-seeking trajectories of asylum seekers in Montreal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 52-59.

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