Resettlement, Employment, and Mental Health Among Syrian Refugee Men in Canada: An Intersectional Study Using Photovoice

Abstract

Context: The impact of forced migration on the mental health of refugee men is far-reaching and compounded by gendered masculinity, which shapes men’s access to employment and other resources. A gap in knowledge exists on the broader determinants of refugee men’s mental health. Methodology: Using community-based participatory action research and the arts-based method of photovoice, this study advances knowledge about the gendered impacts of forced migration from the perspective of (n = 11) Syrian refugee men in the Canadian context. Theoretical approaches of intersectionality and masculinity were applied to understand how power relations shape Syrian men’s identities, their access to employment, and impacts on their mental health. Analysis and Results: Syrian men’s identities were marginalized by working in low-wage jobs because of inequitable policies that favored Canadian experience and credentialing assessment processes that devalued their knowledge. Multiple and overlapping factors shaped Syrian men’s mental health including language and literacy barriers, time and stage of life, isolation and loneliness, belonging and identity, and gender-based stress. Caring masculinities performed through fathering, cultural connection, and service-based work promoted agency, hope, and resilience. Conclusions: Public health and community-based pathways must adopt gender-responsive and intersectional approaches to policy and practice. Peer-based programs may mitigate harmful forms of masculinity and promote transformative change to support refugee men’s mental health.