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Mental Health Concerns Among African Immigrants

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Abstract

African immigrants represent a rapidly expanding group of immigrants in the United States. In New York City, Africans constitute the fastest growing segment of immigrants but the needs and practices of African immigrants in the U.S. remain poorly understood. A community based organization (CBO) serving African immigrants in Staten Island, NY began a health screening program in 2008 with the goal of promoting access to primary care. Over 18 months, 296 visits were recorded at African Refuge health screenings, representing a total of 87 people who averaged just over 3 visits per person. The screenings identified mental health among the top three medical problems of clients but referral to mental health services was rare. Dedicated services are required to better screen for mental health concerns and refer African immigrants to mental health care.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge vital contributions by nursing students from the Wagner College of Nursing, Staten Island, in collecting screening data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Homer Venters, Olayinka Adekugbe & Francesca Gany

  2. African Refuge, New York, NY, USA

    Jacob Massaquoi, Cheryl Nadeau & Jack Saul

Authors
  1. Homer Venters
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  2. Olayinka Adekugbe
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  3. Jacob Massaquoi
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  4. Cheryl Nadeau
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  5. Jack Saul
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  6. Francesca Gany
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Homer Venters.

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Venters, H., Adekugbe, O., Massaquoi, J. et al. Mental Health Concerns Among African Immigrants. J Immigrant Minority Health 13, 795–797 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-010-9357-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-010-9357-1

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