Presentation Information
[O-3-05]The project MHEALTH4ALL: Development and implementation of a digital platform for the promotion of access to mental healthcare for low language proficient third-country nationals in Europe
*Raquel Lazaro-Gutierrez1, Barbara Schouten2 (1.Universidad de Alcala(Spain), 2.University of Amsterdam(Netherlands))
Keywords:
mental health,cross-cultural,communication
According to the World Health Organisation (2022), 1 in every 8 people in the world experience and live with a mental illness. Compared to local populations, post-traumatic stress and psychosis disorder rates are remarkably higher for Third Country Nationals (TCNs), who also face barriers to mental health services due to a mix of linguistic and cultural issues (Priebe et al.; 2016 Satinsky et al., 2019). Additionally, providers often lack an optimum command of foreign languages and cultural awareness, which potentially leads to inappropriate care for migrants and/or refugees (Sheat et al., 2020). This problem is exacerbated by the fact that interpreting, translation and intercultural mediation services are not always available or are provided by non-professional individuals (Pérez-González & SusamSaraeva, 2012). In this context, the project MHEALTH4ALL brings together 13 partners from 9 European countries aiming to develop a multilingual, culturally-sensitive, evidence-based digital information and communication platform in mental healthcare (https://www.mhealth4all.eu/). The aim of this contribution is to present the results and deliverables of the project, publicly available from june 2025, which include:An open-access information and communication platform for mental health professionals and refugee and migrant patients with: A repository of resources targeted at healthcare providers and patients to enhance their knowledge of how to access language support in mental healthcare services. A set of education and communication strategies addressing language and culture-based access barriers and needs. A set of recommendations regarding the suitable integration of automated translation as a macro-strategy integrated into more comprehensive solutions for accessing mental healthcare. Educational videos based on the most severe barriers, salient needs, and recommended communication strategies. Educational videos about identified high-quality resources to mitigate the language barrier in mental healthcare.