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

Context: The impact of forced migration on mental health is far reaching and compounded by post- migration contexts in which social determinants of health, such as resettlement, employment and gender, play a key role. Research on refugee men has shown that employment and life transitions are key determinants of mental health. However, a gap in knowledge exists on refugee men’s perspectives on the factors that impact their mental health. Methodology: This study used community-based participatory action research and the arts-based method of Photovoice to understand Syrian refugee men’s (n = 11) experiences of forced migration, resettlement, and employment in a Canadian context, as well as the impacts of these experiences on their mental health. Analysis and Results: Drawing on the critical theoretical perspective of intersectionality, we analyzed photographs taken by research participants, which showed that language and literacy barriers, time and stage of life, isolation and loneliness, belonging and identity and gender-based stress intersected to shape their mental health. Conclusion: Meaningful employment was central to the men’s identities; however, they engaged in low wage, precarious work due to both discriminatory policies that favored Canadian experience and credentialing assessment processes that devalued their experience and knowledge. Adopting gender-responsive and caring policies and practices could shift dominant discourses on masculinity and support the mental health of refugee men in resettlement contexts.