Psychological Distress Among Bhutanese Refugees Living in the Northeast Region of the United States

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of psychological distress among adult Bhutanese refugees living in the United States. We recruited 376 adult Bhutanese refugees living in the northeast US region, the majority of whom were employed, married men in their 40 s who were US citizens. Using Bayesian Negative Binomial Regression modelling, we examined the impact of sociodemographic measures, health status and refugee integration measures on psychological distress outcomes. The most common predictors of depression, stress and anxiety were social connection deficits and self-reported health conditions. Other associated factors included: health access deficits, number of years living in the US, paid employment, citizenship and living in more than one US city. The findings of our study revealed that mental health outcomes in this subset of the population of Bhutanese refugees are impacted by a variety of social and health related factors. Public policy makers and practitioners need to recognize the complex issues affecting mental health of Bhutanese refugees. Advocacy for expanded culturally congruent policies and evidence based mental health services are recommended. Future research needs to examine culturally relevant concepts and measures related to mental health and integration in this population.