Emotional Intelligence and

Refugee health:
Considerations for
community nurses
Nursing & Healthy communities 2010
Compiled by Cathy Dickson 2007
Reviewed by Olayide Ogunsiji 2008.
Revised by Ann Ooi 2010

Objectives
By the end of this lecture & with additional
readings students will be able to:
 Understand the concept of emotional
intelligence
 Identify Refugees health issues

 Understand community nurses’

nurses’ roles in
promotion of refugees health.

In terms of unit outcomes....

Students will be able to:
 Discuss the roles of the nurse in contributing to the
promotion and sustainability of a healthy community
 Discuss adaptive and maladaptive patterns of behaviours
involving individuals, families and other groups and the
implications for professional nursing practice
 Explore the concepts and experiences (real and
anticipated) of grief, loss and suffering in communities
and the implications for professional nursing practice
 Emotional Intelligence (EI)
 What is emotional intelligence?

“The ability to perceive accurately, appraise and

express emotion, the ability to access and/or
generate feelings when they facilitate thought,
the ability to understand emotion and emotional
knowledge and the ability to reflectively regulate
emotions in ways that promote emotional and
intellectual growth”
growth”
(Mayer & Salovey,
Salovey, 1997:p.23)

Emotional Intellegence is:

 “The ability to read people’s
emotion and use one’s own
emotional responses
adaptively”.
(Mayer & salovey,
salovey, 1997. cited in Burton, Weston & Kowalski, 2009.
pg349.)

High EI
 People with high EI have an ability to
understand and regulate their own
emotions at the same time have a deep
understand for what other people are
feeling.
 They are ‘in tune’
tune’ with themselves and
others
(Burton, Westen & Kowalski. 2009. pg 350)
 EI can be developed through:

 Self-
Self-awareness
 Emotion management
 Self-
Self-concept and relationships
 Empathy
 Skill building
 Self-
Self-control
(Carrington & Whitten, 2006; Lewkowicz,
Lewkowicz, 1999; Lynn, 2007)

How does EI relate to

community nursing practice?
 Health education has been at the forefront
of strategies that take into account the
learners emotional readiness.
 If people are to be empowered they have
to be able to manage, not be disabled by
their own emotions (Bunton,
Bunton, Macdonald,& Gordon, 2003)

 The nurse becomes more aware of and

“in tune”
tune” with the client’
client’s emotional
wellbeing

How does EI relate to the care of

Refugees and New Arrivals
 Nurse to be aware of own emotional
readiness to care for Refugees and New
Arrivals
 Nurse to be aware of the persons
emotional wellbeing
 Nurse to be able to empower the person
to manage their emotion
 Universal Declaration of
Human Rights
 On Dec 10th 1948 the General
Assembly of the United
Nations adapted and
proclaimed the ‘Universal
Declaration of Human Rights’

Article 26 (1) of the declaration

states that:
 “Everyone has the right to a standard of living
adequate for the health and well-
well-being of
himself and of his family, including food,
clothing, housing and medical care and
necessary social services, and the right to
security in the event of unemployment, sickness,
disability, widowhood, old age and other lack of
livelihood in circumstances beyond his control”
control”
(Universal Declaration of Human rights 1948)

Refugees
 As a Member State of the United Nations
Australia has an obligation to improve and
protect the health of refugees.
 The settlement of refugees is an integral part of
Australian history. Over the past 50 years
500,000 refugees have settled in Australia.
 Approximately 13,000 settle in Australia each
year. With 4,000 settling in NSW.
(SSWAHS, 2009)
 Definition of a Refugee?
 “a person who owing to a well founded
fear of being persecuted for reasons of
race, religion, national, membership of a
particular social group or political opinion,
is outside the country of his (or her)
nationality and is unable or owing to such
fear, is unwilling to avail himself (or
herself) of the protection of that
country:...”
country:...” (NSW Health Dept 1999)

Refugee Status Determination

Process
 The On-shore Protection Program
 Australia law dictates that
Australia is obliged to provide
protection to those who enter the
country fleeing persecution.
(Barnes, 2003. pg 7)

 Off –shore Humanitarian (Resettlement)

Program
 “Australia is one of about ten countries in
the world that routinely provides a
planned humanitarian program in which
displaced persons from around the globe
are resettled in a third country”
(Barnes, 2003, pg 11)
 Asylum Seeker
 Asylum seekers are people who, having arrived
in a country, actively seek the protection of that
State.
 If the person is found to satisfy such criteria, he
or she is confirmed to be a refugee.
 During the period that the assessment is taking
place, he/she is referred to as an asylum seeker.
(Barnes, 2003. pg 10)

Criteria for resettlement

1. The degree of harm experienced by the
person.
2. Links the person has to Australia
3. Australia's capacity to provide settlement
4. Is Australia the most appropriate country?
5. In addition all applicants are required to meet
public interest criteria which includes
assessment of good character.

Special categories
 Survivors of torture & trauma
 Women at risk
 Children
 Adverse life events affecting the
health of refugees
 Long term persecution,
repression & deprivation.
 Separation from and loss
of family & friends.
 Imprisonment without
trial, actual or threatened
violence or witnessing of
same.
 Overcrowding, poor
hygiene, under nutrition.
 Poor health care due to;
destruction of
infrastructure, disruption
to preventative and
curative services, limited
access to health care
during flight or in exile

(Adapted from Smith, 2003)

Common Health Problems

 Mental Health  Hypertension &
Issues diabetes
 Musculo-
Musculo-skeletal  Women’
Women’s health
problems issues
 Gastro-
Gastro-intestinal  Dental problems
disorders  Growth and
 Infections development
issues in children
SSWAHS, (2009), Allotey,
Allotey, (2003)

Promoting positive outcomes when

working with refugees
 Acknowledge their experiences
 Respect diversity
 Be flexible
 Communication
 Focus on trust
 Set boundaries
 Use a strengths based approach
(NSW Refugee service, 2004)
 Improving the services offered to
refugees
 Health professionals are advised to:
 Have some awareness of the political history of the
country of origin
 Be aware of cross-cultural issues
 Use a sensitive, staged approach to history taking and
examination
 Use on-site or telephone interpreters
 Seek training on working with people from refugee
background
 Consult with the Refugee Health Service if further advice
is required.
(SSWAHS, 2009)

References
Barnes, D. (Ed) (2003). Asylum Seekers and Refugees: Issues of Mental Health
and Wellbeing. Sydney: Transcultural Mental Health Centre.
Burton, L., Weston, D. & Kowalski, R. (2009). Psychology 2nd Australian & New
Zealand edition. Australia: Wiley.
Carrington, D., & Whitten, H. (2006). Future directions: practical ways to
develop emotional intelligence and confidence in young people. Australia:
Hawker Brownlow Education
Harris, M., & Telfer,
Telfer, B. (2001).The health needs of asylum seekers living in the
community. Medical Journal of Australia, 175,589-
175,589-592.
Hussein, T.(2000).Emotionaly intelligent case managers make a difference.
difference.
Case Management, 5(4), 162-162-167
Lewkowicz, A. B.(1999). Teaching emotional intelligence: Making informed
Lewkowicz,
choices. Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education
Lynn, A.B. (2007). Quick emotional intelligence activities for busy managers: 50
team exercises that get results in just 15 minutes. USA: American
Management Association
Mayer, J.D.,& Salovey,
Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional Intelligence? In Salovey,
Salovey, P
& Sluyter, D.J.(Eds.). Emotional development and emotional intellegence:
Sluyter, D.J.(Eds.). intellegence:
Educational implications. New York: Basic Books.

NSW Refugee Service (2004).Fact Sheet 12:Refugee Young

People. Accessed August 01, 2007 from
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
NSW Refugee Service (2005).Fact Sheet 1:An Overview.
Accessed August 01, 2007 from
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
NSW Refugee Service (2005).Fact Sheet 3:Asylum Seekers.
Accessed August 01, 2007 from
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
(n.d.a).Fact Sheet 5:Refugee
NSW Refugee Service (n.d.a).
Women. Accessed August 01, 2007 from
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
 (n.d.b).Fact Sheet 5:Refugee
NSW Refugee Service (n.d.b).
Children. Accessed August 01, 2007 from
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
http:/www.refugeehealth.org.au
Reeves, A. (2005). Emotional intelligence : Recognizing and
regulating emotions. American Association of
Occupational Health Nursing Journal, 53(4), 174-
174-176
Smith, M (2003).Health care for refugees. Asia Pacific
Family Medicine, 2,71-73.
SSWAHS, (2009), NSW Refugee health Service, Aiming to
improve and protect the health of refugees in NSW.
From
http:www.sswahs.nsw.gov.au/sswahs/refugee/main/htm