Refugees' Experiences of Racism in Health Services: A Qualitative Inquiry on the Role of Affective Forecasting

Racism in health services is a growing issue and affects refugees. This study's research question is: How do refugees' experiences of racism in health services influence their future behaviours and patient disengagement through affective forecasting? Research on the association between affective forecasting and refugees' previous experiences of racism in health services is limited, and several questions remain unanswered. This qualitative descriptive study included thirteen refugees with prior exposure to racism in Canadian health services. Semi-structured interviews were employed to gather data and thematic analysis to analyze this study's research question. This qualitative approach sheds light on emotional responses' influence on refugees' decision-making. The findings revealed that refugees' racist experiences in health services influenced their future behaviours and patient disengagement through the impact of their affective forecasts. This research provides practical implications for health service management to improve refugees' experiences in health services and directions for future research.