In 2021, the United Nations estimated that approximately 108.4 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced. (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2021). This represented about 3.6 percent of the global population. The report highlighted that increasing numbers of people are being displaced due to wars, conflict, economic instability, or climate change. About 26.4 million are refugees, and about half are under 18 years old (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2021). The report stresses that only a small percentage of this population will reach a developed “resettlement” country; therefore, most will eventually settle into “host” countries near their home country. Currently, 4.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine since February 24, 2022, and more than 7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine. The current conflict in Palestine is contributing to this crisis. Nursing organizations all highlight the importance of maintaining the union of families to reduce stress and improve well-being (American Academy of Nursing, 2018; Canadian Nurses Association, 2018).
The International Family Nursing Association (IFNA) believes that nurses worldwide should understand the health needs of refugee families. A refugee is a person who is outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and, as a result, require international protection (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2021). As family nurses, our attitudes to the global refugee crisis are intrinsically linked to our beliefs about the crucial importance of the family, our ethics of family rights to health and well-being, and our role in promoting family health.
Family nurses have always been in a unique position to help families who are experiencing physical, psychological, relational, and/
or spiritual difficulties of forced migration and displacement due to armed conflicts, violence, persecution, poverty, and disasters (Lise
et al., 2023).
The purpose of this issue paper is:
- To inform IFNA members, educators, researchers, practitioners, other healthcare professionals, policy makers, and the public
of the health needs of refugee families. - To offer direction and support for family nursing education, research, and practice on the topic of refugee family health.
