Intersectionalities of Influence: Researching the Health of Immigrant and Refugee Women

Abstract

There is a growing recognition of the complexity surrounding multiple axes or dimensions of social identity and how they intersect to influence the health of immigrant and refugee women. The concept of intersectionalities of influence is particularly relevant in addressing diversity in nursing research. The purpose of this paper is to theorize and operationalize the concept in mental health promotion research with immigrant and refugee women. At the conceptual level, the authors propose an approach to inquiry that is informed by critical scholarship and draws from postcolonial and feminist perspectives. At the operational level, they apply an ecosystemic framework to help locate individual health issues within the familial, community, and social realms. They introduce Participatory Action Research as a way of putting these concepts into action within the research process. Their aim is to introduce a new way of inquiry that can benefit immigrant and refugee women while furthering the nursing agenda for community-based research.