Abstract:

Background:
There is a growing concern worldwide about the suicide rates among immigrant and refugee communities. Canada has a long history of immigration and (re)settlement of immigrants and refugees. It is projected that by 2041, for example, immigrants would represent about 34 percent of the population in Canada. However, no scoping reviews could be located that focused on suicide among immigrants and refugees in Canada.

Methods:
Using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s PRISMA-ScR checklist, a scoping review was conducted to examine the range and scope of available literature on the topic. The review was guided by the Government of Canada’s Suicide Prevention framework. CINAHL, Medline (OVID), PsychINFO, Sociological Abstracts, and Embase databases were searched for related literature published in English from 2014 to 2024. A hand search of key journals and reference lists of included articles was also executed. Articles underwent a two-level screening process. A total of 18 articles were included and appraised. A thematic analysis was employed to identify common themes and patterns across the extracted data.

Results:
The scoping review results revealed that suicide risk increased with the length of stay in Canada. Gender differences were noted in committing suicide versus suicidal behavior. Low socioeconomic statuses, such as unemployment and financial instability after immigration, increased the level of stress and suicidal behaviors. The stigma of mental illness was reported as a key barrier to help-seeking. The lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health services prevented immigrants and refugees from accessing and using the available mental health supports and programs. The results also show that immigrants and refugees are extremely resilient in coping with post-migration hardships and systemic barriers.

Implications:
Community-based education is imperative to help promote mental health and to reduce the stigma of mental illness. It is also critical that health care, and social and settlement service providers are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and expertise to assess and provide timely care, support, and services to at-risk individuals from immigrant and refugee communities. Future research is needed to explore how interdisciplinary teams can collaborate more effectively to develop comprehensive suicide prevention strategies.

Keywords:

Canada, immigrants, refugees, scoping review, suicide.