Abstract

This article examines migrant parents’ experiences with public health and social services in Finland, relying on data from interviews with 20 parents. We apply the theory of recognition as the theoretical framework for this research. Our focus is on the recognition of and services for disabled persons for two reasons. Firstly, research on disability in the migration context remains lacking. Secondly, whilst many theoretical discussions about recognition exist, empirical studies relying on theory have received less attention. Here, we aim to explore the practical forms of recognition to parents’ everyday lives. We rely on theory-guided content analysis as an analytical tool. Based on the results of this research, parents face multiple challenges when encountering public service professionals. This drained parents’ resources and hampered their integration into Finnish society. Regardless of problems related to services, parents employed different strategies to gain recognition based on their own resources.

• Points of interest

• This research examines in detail how the migrant parents of a disabled child related with Finnish public health and social service professionals.

• Most parents in this study experienced problems obtaining services, caused by the lack of a shared language and an unfamiliarity with the service system.

• All parents wanted professionals to recognise their concerns regarding their child’s disability, to take into account the parents’ views about their child’s treatment and treat parents with respect.

• When parents felt unrecognised, they refused to accept it in many ways. For example, they could resist professionals’ plan during meetings or consulted repeatedly emergency room service.

• This research demonstrates how a delayed or an inappropriate health and social service influenced parents’ every-day lives. Consequently, it created long-lasting stress and hampered their integration process into the new country.

摘要

本文根据对 20 位父母的采访数据，考察了移民父母在芬兰公共卫生和社会服务方面的经历。我们应用识别理论作为本研究的理论框架。我们的重点是对残疾人的认可和服务，原因有两个。首先，仍然缺乏对移民背景下的残疾的研究。其次，虽然存在许多关于识别的理论讨论，但依赖于理论的实证研究受到的关注较少。在这里，我们旨在探索对父母日常生活的认可的实用形式。我们依靠理论指导的内容分析作为分析工具。根据这项研究的结果，父母在遇到公共服务专业人员时面临着多重挑战。这耗尽了父母的资源，阻碍了他们融入芬兰社会。不管与服务相关的问题，家长们都会根据自己的资源采取不同的策略来获得认可。

• 兴趣点

• 本研究详细探讨了残疾儿童的移民父母与芬兰公共卫生和社会服务专业人员的关系。

• 本研究中的大多数父母在获得服务时遇到了问题，这是由于缺乏共同语言和不熟悉服务系统造成的。

• 所有父母都希望专业人士能够认识到他们对孩子残疾的担忧，考虑到父母对孩子治疗的看法，并尊重父母。

• 当父母感到不被认可时，他们以多种方式拒绝接受。例如，他们可以在会议期间抵制专业人士的计划或反复咨询急诊室服务。

• 这项研究展示了延迟或不适当的健康和社会服务如何影响父母的日常生活。因此，它造成了长期的压力，并阻碍了他们融入新国家的过程。