PhD Defence: Prabhjot Kour

Prabhjot Kour will defend her PhD degree in Person-Centred Health Care. This dissertation is about how men with immigrant background, living with co-occurring substance use and mental health problems, describe their experiences with coping and in treatment settings in Norway.


14 Jun

Practical information

  • Date: 14 June 2023
  • Time: 10.00 - 15.30
  • Location: Drammen, Rom A5508
  • Download calendar file
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    Program

    10.00-11.00: Trial lecture:
    How different kinds of migration-related experiences and life situations affect the development of substance use and mental health problems

    12.00-15.30: PhD defence: Through the eyes of immigrants and health professionals: Coping and treatment experiences of men with immigrant background and living with co-occurring substance use- and mental health problems in Norway.

     

    Read the thesis here.

     

    Watch the defence via Zoom here.

    Meeting ID: 672 3359 2631
    Password: 140623

     

    Evaluation committee

    • First opponent: Professor emeritus Sverre Nesvåg, Stavanger University Hospital
    • Second opponent: Docent Anu Castaneda, University of Helsinki
    • Administrator: Associate Professor
      Vibeke Krane, University of South-Eastern Norway
    • Defence leader: Professor
      Line Joranger, University of South-Eastern Norway

    Supervisors

    • Main Supervisor: Associate Professor, Henning Pettersen, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
    • Co-Supervisor: Professor Lars Lien, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, NK-ROP and Professor Stian Biong, University of South-Eastern Norway
Any questions?

Prabhjot Kour is defending her dissertation for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Portrett av Prabhjot Kour

The doctoral work has been carried out at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at campus Drammen. 

You are welcome to follow the trial lecture and the public defence.

Summary

The question that initiated this doctoral research in the first place was why was it important to focus on immigrants in Norway and why specifically on mental health and substance use among them?

To answer why: immigrants in Norway contributes to 19.9 % of total population (as per 1st January, 2023), which is a substantial proportion. Immigrants are often at the risk of developing psychological distress and involvement in substance use, due to variety of pre- and post-migration factors, leading to co-occurring mental health and substance use problems (COP). This is added up various barriers they experience while accessing the healthcare services, and thus resulting in lower utilization of mental health and addiction services, lower treatment engagement, higher dropout rate, and less frequent hospitalizations.

This thesis, therefore, has sought to increase scientific knowledge of the experiences of immigrants living with COP, with a particular focus on coping and treatment experiences, in addition to the perspectives of health professionals. The overall aim was to explore the coping and treatment experiences of immigrant men living with co-occurring substance use and mental health problems in Norway, from the perspectives of immigrants and health professionals.

Through individual interviews with immigrant men living with COP along with focus group interviews with health professionals, this thesis provides the enhanced understanding of migration as an important variable in coping and treatment experiences. The participants further described various barriers and facilitators to the treatment engagement. These findings suggest the need for more person-centred and culturally competent approaches in Norwegian mental health and addiction services. Professional interpreters are warranted, in addition to strategies that can develop personal skills among immigrants living with COP. Strategies to reduce stigma and racism in different institutions are also needed in order to enhance immigrants’ sense of belonging and participation in mainstream Norwegian society.