Sara Shishegar
With a supervisory team who are experts in their fields, the Faculty of Health was the best place...
Key research areas/interests: women’s health, refugees, asylum seekers, coping strategies, mental health, resilience
Principal Supervisor: Dr. Leila Gholizadeh
Summary of research project
‘Health and socio-cultural needs of Iranian asylum seeker women living in metropolitan Sydney, Australia’
This study is looking at the lived experiences and constraints of living in Australia and their impact on individuals’ health status for Iranian women who came to Australia by boat. The study also explores the strategies this population applies to maintain their mental wellbeing and ease their resettlement process. It is a qualitative study that gives voice to the overlooked population in literature and the Australian context.
Why did you decide to embark on your research degree at the Faculty of Health at UTS?
My background as a midwife made me interested in working on women and their health, and the Faculty of Health seemed to be the right place to allow me to achieve this aspiration.
What contribution to knowledge are you planning to make with your research project? What change might that bring about?
I have presented in four international and national conferences to speak out about the understudied populations’ problems. I’ve also published two literature reviews so far addressing refugee women’s and Iranian immigrants’ lived experiences and mental wellbeing during their resettlement process in various countries.
I am planning to publish more papers specifically addressing the current population’s obstacles and experiences to assist a development in literature about vulnerable populations, in particular asylum seekers in Australia.
Due to the qualitative nature of this study, the results cannot be generalised. However, they could be used as reference for policy makers who are thinking about the adverse outcomes of restrictions for vulnerable populations.
The declining health status of these women is a significant cost to the Australian health care system. My research aims to reduce this expense in the long term.
Who will benefit from your research? How?
As previously mentioned, the Australian health care system will benefit the most from this research. Iranian asylum seekers, as well as asylum seekers from other backgrounds, who are are affected by the slow process of assessing asylum applications will benefit from this research as it will bring a greater awareness to the declining health status of this population and therefore contribute to improving its health outcomes.
Furthermore, this study gives a voice to the population to talk about their problems and experiences, which will be disseminated via publications and conferences. Most participants in this study expressed their enthusiasm for participating as they believed that talking about their problems gave them a sense of relief and reduced their stress. They also believed that the results of this study could help them to be seen and settled in Australia.
How did you go about selecting your supervisor?
Dr. Leila Gholizadeh is a lecturer in the Faculty of Health with an Iranian background. She has a background of research on Middle Eastern people’s health including people from Iran who live in Australia. For this study, a supervisor familiar with the culture and the field of women’s health was considerably helpful.
My co-supervisor, Dr. Michelle DiGiacomo is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Health. She is a psychologist and assists me in conducting and developing the psychological aspects of the project. She is also an expert in undertaking qualitative research, particularly on vulnerable populations. Her assistance and advice is very helpful.
Professor Patricia Mary Davidson is the co-supervisor for this project. She is an international professor with expertise in qualitative research on women and their quality of life. Her support and assistance in this project is invaluable.
What advice would you give to future research students thinking about starting a higher degree in research at the Faculty of Health?
It is really important for all students to investigate the research background of supervisors before finalising their decision about working with them as their student. For international students in particular, it is very important to work with a considerate supervisory team that can understand and assist you in overcoming any linguistic and cultural difficulties that may arise during the PhD journey.
