Table 1 Baseline characteristics of humanitarian refugee women in the Building A New Life in Australia project, 2013–14 (weighted data)
Characteristic | Description | Response | Totala (n = 310) |
|---|---|---|---|
Pre-migration Factors | |||
 Age, mean (years) | Age | 18 – 75 years | 41.3 (12.9) |
 Marital Status | Married or has a Partner | Yes | 103 (33.2%) |
No | 207 (66.8%) | ||
 Religion | Religion | Buddhism | 3 (0.97%) |
Christianity | 135 (43.6%) | ||
Hinduism | 3 (0.97%) | ||
Islam | 134 (43.2%) | ||
Other | 32 (10.3%) | ||
No Religion | 3 (0.97%) | ||
 Country of Birth | Major groups based on the Standard Australian Classification of Countries major groups | North Africa and Middle East | 166 (53.6%) |
South – East Asia | 27 (8.7%) | ||
North – East Asia | 1 (0.3%) | ||
Southern and Central Asia | 108 (34.8%) | ||
Americas | 1 (0.3%) | ||
Sub-Saharan Africa | 7 (2.3%) | ||
 Pre-arrival education | Pre-arrival education | Never attended school | 82 (26.4%) |
 < 6 years of school | 65 (21.0%) | ||
6 – 12 years of school | 70 (22.6%) | ||
12 years + of school | 50 (16.1%) | ||
Trade or Tech school | 15 (4.8%) | ||
University Degree | 28 (9.0%) | ||
 Visa category | Visa category | 200 Refugee Visa | 144 (46.4%) |
Onshore Protection/ Humanitarian Visa | 35 (11.3%) | ||
204 Women at Risk Visa | 131 (42.3%) | ||
 Time spent in detention | Time spent in detention | Yes | 2 (0.7%) |
No | 308 (99.3%) | ||
 Number of pre-migration traumas | Number of pre-migration traumas | None | 38 (12.3%) |
1 – 2 traumas | 169 (54.5%) | ||
3 or more traumas | 103 (33.2%) | ||
 Number of countries spent time in before coming to Australia | Number of countries lived in between country of birth and Australia | None/not specified | 50 (16.1%) |
1 Country | 242 (78.1%) | ||
2 Countries | 13 (4.2%) | ||
3 or more countries | 5 (1.7%) | ||
 Migration pathway | Arrived in Australia via onshoreb or offshore migration pathwayc | Onshore pathway | 22 (7.1%) |
Offshore pathway | 288 (92.9%) | ||
Post-migration Factors | |||
 Region of settlement in Australia | Region of settlement in Australia | Metropolitan cities | 261 (84.2%) |
Regional Australia | 49 (15.8%) | ||
 Currently in paid employment | Currently in paid employment in Australia | Yes | 2 (0.7%) |
No | 308 (99.3%) | ||
 Main income source in Australia | Main source of income in Australia | Government support | 294 (94.8%) |
Non-Government support | 16 (5.2%) | ||
 No. daily financial hardships | Number of daily financial hardships experienced in Australia | None | 172 (55.5%) |
1 or more | 138 (44.5%) | ||
 Financial stressors | Financial stressors | Yes | 129 (41.6%) |
No | 181 (58.4%) | ||
 English speaking proficiency | Currently understands spoken English | very well/well | 248 (80.0%) |
not well/not at all | 62 (20.0%) | ||
 Undertaken further study/training in Australia | Undertaken study or job training in Australia, other than English language classes | Yes | 27 (8.7%) |
No | 283 (91.3%) | ||
 Stress-language barriers | Language barriers as main source of stress in Australia | Yes | 212 (68.4%) |
No | 98 (31.6%) | ||
 Housing stability | Housing Stability | Temporary/Other | 43 (13.9%) |
Short-term lease/contract | 119 (38.4%) | ||
Long-term lease/contract | 148 (47.7%) | ||
 Mental Health Status PTSD8 | Meets intrusion, avoidance and hypervigilance criteria for PTSD | Yes | 120 (38.7%) |
No | 190 (61.3%) | ||
 General Health | General health status | Poor – Very poor | 78 (25.2%) |
Good – Fair | 170 (54.8%) | ||
Excellent – Very Good | 62 (20.0%) | ||
 Length of stay in Australia | Length of stay in Australia |  < 6 months | 279 (90%) |
 < 12 months | 12 (3.9%) | ||
 > 1 year | 19 (6.1%) | ||
 Stress-loneliness | Loneliness as main source of stress in Australia | Yes | 74 (23.9%) |
No | 236 (76.1%) | ||
 Received social support | Received any religious, like ethnic or community support in Australia | Yes | 148 (47.7%) |
No | 162 (52.3%) | ||
 Discrimination | Discrimination as main source of stress in Australia | Yes | 11 (3.6%) |
No | 299 (96.4%) | ||