A safer future

About A safer future

A safer future is a research project with the overall aim of deepening the understanding of health and well-being among refugees who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer identities or expressions (LGBTQ+). A particular focus area is peer support as an intervention to improve mental health and well-being. The research project is being carried out at the Swedish Red Cross University College and is affiliated with CIRCLE.

Background

Around the world, people who identify as LGBTQ+ are exposed to violence, oppression, and persecution. A high proportion of countries lack adequate legal protections for their human rights. The situation can become so severe that individuals are forced to flee to another country and seek asylum there. Sweden accepts well-founded fear of persecution related to sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds for being granted asylum. Although being granted asylum can be life-saving, the challenges do not end when individuals arrive in Sweden. A significant issue is the risk of experiencing mental health consequences due to arriving in a new country and facing loneliness and exclusion.

Within the project, researchers work closely with the target group to ensure the research is as relevant as possible, in line with their preferences and needs. Among other things, individuals from the target group work as research assistants and regular members of the research team. We have also established an advisory group and conduct recurring workshops to plan the research. Through this collaboration, the research group has identified peer support as highly requested and with the potential to improve health and well-being.

Project studies

The first phase was to conduct several exploratory studies in the Swedish context as well as literature reviews on health and well-being within the target group. The second phase of the project is to co-create an intervention involving peer support together with the target group and to evaluate it. This takes place through workshops with the target group in which a first version of the intervention is developed (study 1), interviews with healthcare professionals and the target group to refine the intervention (study 2), a feasibility study to understand study procedures and explore experiences of receiving the intervention (study 3), and an evaluation of the co-creation process of the intervention together with the target group (study 4).

The project is carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Civic Orientation, which coordinates courses for newly arrived individuals in Sweden. Clinical representation in the project includes nurses, psychiatric nurses, midwives, and psychologists.