Lived Experience Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic among Arabic-, Russian- and Somali-Speaking Migrants in Finland
Open Access
- 5 March 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 18 (5), 2601
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052601
Abstract
Increasing research shows that migrants are disproportionately exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, little is known about their lived experience and related meaning-making. This qualitative study maps COVID-19-related experiences among respondents from three migrant groups living in Finland: Somali-, Arabic- and Russian-speakers (N = 209). The data were collected by telephone interviews over four weeks in March and April 2020. Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified seven themes that illustrate respondents’ multifaceted lived experiences during the first phase of pandemic. The themes depict respondents’ difficulties and fears, but also their resilience and resources to cope, both individually and collectively. Experiences varied greatly between individuals and migrant groups. The main conclusion is that although the COVID-19 pandemic may be an especially stressful experience for migrant populations, it may also provide opportunities to deepen cooperation and trust within migrant communities, and between migrants and their country of settlement. Our analysis suggests that cooperation between local authorities and migrants, trust-building and effective information-sharing can foster positive and functional adaptations to disease-related threats and changing social environments.Funding Information
- Academy of Finland (323125)
- Kone Foundation (201805064)
This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- The impact of COVID-19 on migrant women workers in IndiaEurasian Geography and Economics, 2020
- ‘I'm more afraid of racism than of the virus!’: racism awareness and resistance among Chinese migrants and their descendants in France during the Covid-19 pandemicEuropean Societies, 2020
- Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on women’s health and safety: A study of immigrant survivors of intimate partner violenceHealth Care for Women International, 2020
- Ethnic Identity and Coping Strategies as Moderators of COVID-19 Racial Discrimination Experiences Among Chinese AmericansCounseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, 2020
- Negative impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on mental health service access and follow-up adherence for immigrants and individuals in socio-economic difficultiesPublic Health, 2020
- Local to global: Somali perspectives on faith, community, and resilience in response to COVID-19.Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2020
- Pandemics and prejudiceInternational Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2020
- The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the United StatesClinical Infectious Diseases, 2020
- Prejudice Toward Asian Americans in the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Effects of Social Media Use in the United StatesFrontiers in Communication, 2020
- Far from the eyes, close to the heart: Psychological Impact of COVID-19 in a Sample of Italian foreign workersPsychiatry Research, 2020