Post-migration Social Determinants of Health for People from Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Backgrounds

Both pre- and postmigration stressors mean that people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds have worse health than the general population. This chapter draws on social research in relation to the social determinants of health for people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds in resettlement contexts, to examine key postmigration factors influencing health outcomes for these groups of people. Topics covered include housing and neighborhood, employment and income, education, discrimination, social and family relationships, and access to health services. The chapter has a particular focus on how immigration status and associated precarity can cut across these determinants to affect mental and physical health outcomes and highlight the ways that systemic factors create conditions of vulnerability across a range of intersecting factors for refugees and asylum seekers. It also discusses a range of ethical and practical considerations that are important for conducting impactful social research with refugees and asylum seekers. The chapter concludes with some recommendations for policy and practice and future directions.