Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Volume 191, Issue 2, 2003, Pages 100-107

The TAFES multi-family group intervention for Kosovar refugees: A feasibility study (Article)

Weine S.M.* , Raina D. , Zhubi M. , Delesi M. , Huseni D. , Feetham S. , Kulauzovic Y. , Mermelstein R. , Campbell R.T. , Rolland J. , Pavkovic I.
  • a Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
  • b Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
  • c Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
  • d Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
  • e Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
  • f College of Nursing, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States
  • g Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
  • h Department of Psychology, Health Research and Policy Centers, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States
  • i Health Research and Policy Centers, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States
  • j Chicago Center for Family Health, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
  • k Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, United States

Abstract

The object of this study was to describe a feasibility study of the Tea and Families Education and Support (TAFES) intervention used in a group of newly resettled adult refugees from Kosova. The subjects were 86 newly resettled Kosovar refugees in Chicago who gave informed consent to participate in an investigation of the TAFES intervention. All subjects received family home visits, and most participated in the TAFES multi-family groups. The instruments were administered to adult participants before and 3 months after the intervention. The TAFES program had contact with 61 Kosovar refugee families, of which 42 families (69%) engaged in TAFES groups, including families with educated and working members. Several characteristics were associated with engaging in TAFES groups and included lower monthly family income and higher age of the first child. The uncontrolled postintervention assessments demonstrated increases in social support and psychiatric service use associated with engagement in the TAFES group. Participants also showed time changes in scale scores assessing trauma mental health knowledge, trauma mental health attitudes, and family hardiness. This study provides preliminary evidence that multi-family support and education groups are a feasible and possibly beneficial intervention for newly resettled refugees and indicates the need for further studies.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

education refugee mental health service Family Therapy mental health human group dynamics Life Change Events Refugees middle aged Chicago Psychotherapy, Group professional practice Aged Adaptation, Psychological social support Yugoslavia family health Feasibility Studies income Humans Adolescent male Acculturation female Community Mental Health Services Article Family Relations major clinical study adult Age Factors Community-Institutional Relations
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0037329974&doi=10.1097%2f00005053-200302000-00006&partnerID=40&md5=f4315f173d90a3c0b5bf67ac467b53ec
DOI: 10.1097/00005053-200302000-00006
ISSN: 00223018
Cited by: 35
Original Language: English