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Published (Version of record)CC BY-ND V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-ND V4.0, Open
Magazine article
How gardening can improve the mental health of refugees
The Conversation
27/06/2018
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Abstract
After spending many years living in refugee camps, gardening can provide a safe space to establish identity, rebuild lives and attain happiness. A new study on the Myanmar former refugee community in the regional city of Coffs Harbour revealed the importance of gardening, and in particular how this connection has a positive impact on the mental health of people who have faced severe trauma and are now settling in an unfamiliar place. Read more: The science is in: gardening is good for you What did the study find? People from refugee backgrounds face many complex challenges when they arrive in a new country. Engagement with food can present both a challenge, in terms of unfamiliar foods and foreign ways of cooking, as well as a way to be happy when traditional foods can be found and shared. Previous studies have shown how migrants often adopt poor food habits when settling in a new country. A key finding of this new study is that traditional, often healthier foods are preferred. One way to access these foods is through gardening.
Details
- Title
- How gardening can improve the mental health of refugees
- Creators
- Mandy Hughes (Author) - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- The Conversation
- Publisher
- The Conversation Media Group Ltd; Australia
- Identifiers
- 991012967500402368
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Conversation Media Group Ltd
- Academic Unit
- Humanities; Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Magazine article