Social support, social networks, and mental health of six refugee subgroups in Arizona: Findings from a pilot study

Mental health care is vital to refugee integration, yet current frameworks often lack the cultural sensitivity needed to address distinct subgroup needs. This limits the understanding of how cultural and experiential factors shape refugees' mental health and responses to care. Research that predominantly treats refugees as a homogeneous group overlooks these differences, hindering the development of effective, nuanced interventions. Although social connectedness is widely recognized as protective for mental health, prior research often has simplified this to general social support measures, overlooking the unique structure and function of refugees' social networks. To address these gaps, this pilot study used a community-based participatory approach and egocentric network data to examine social support, social network characteristics, and mental health across six refugee groups-Bhutanese, Burmese, Congolese, Iraqi, Somali, and Syrian-resettled in Arizona, a key U.S. resettlement location. Our sample (N = 150) was 53.0% male and 47.0% female with an average age of 41.4 years; 31.3% reported no formal education and 44.7% were unemployed. Univariate analyses revealed significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics, social support levels, social network characteristics, and mental health statuses (psychological distress and suicidal thoughts) among refugee subgroups. These findings underscore the need for culturally responsive interventions that encourage cross-cultural engagement, expand community support, and foster diverse networks to support refugee mental health and integration. This study is the first to employ egocentric network data to compare social networks and mental health indicators among Arizona's refugee subgroups.