# Overcoming barriers to mental health care access for migrants: Lessons learned from intercultural communication initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic - URL: https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/ev1343 - Language: en - Last updated: not specified - Page title: Overcoming barriers to mental health care access for migrants: Lessons learned from intercultural communication initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic | WCP 2026 Summary > Intercultural communication initiatives conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that linguistic and cultural adaptation, together with cultural brokerin… This page was translated automatically from Turkish. [Read the original](https://alisanburak.com/wcp-2026-posterler/ev1343) This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it. EV1343 E-PosterMigration and Transcultural PsychiatryQualitative study # Overcoming barriers to mental health care access for migrants: Lessons learned from intercultural communication initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic BRIDGING BARRIERS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR MIGRANTS – LEARNING FROM INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION INITIATIVES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Presenter: Sofie Bäärnhielm Country: Sweden Institution: Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research Intercultural communication initiatives conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that linguistic and cultural adaptation, together with cultural brokering by civil society organizations, can reduce barriers to migrants' access to mental health care. The aim is to evaluate intercultural communication during the COVID-19 pandemic in two Swedish communities in Stockholm with large migrant populations and to draw lessons for reducing barriers to migrants' access to mental health care. The background notes that migrants face barriers such as stigma, limited knowledge of the health care system, language difficulties, low levels of trust, and insufficient cultural competence in mental health services. It also highlights that COVID-19 exacerbated existing social and health inequalities affecting vulnerable groups and exposed structural problems, such as limited access to clear, reliable health information. The study used qualitative interviews: 76 residents, 15 local civil society organizations (CSOs), and 57 people working in communication within the health care system were interviewed in two areas of Stockholm with large migrant populations, and all interviews underwent thematic analysis. No quantitative measurements or statistical analyses were reported. The main findings indicate that all groups considered linguistic and cultural adaptation and dialogue with local residents crucial to understanding health crisis messages. Trust was reported to develop through a sustained, long-term presence in the community, and civil society organizations were found to serve as cultural brokers for health messages during the crisis. The findings also emphasize that embracing diversity in crisis management can help authorities understand local needs and increase residents' trust in crisis messages and their sense of those messages' relevance to their lives. Recommended priorities include using interpreters; ensuring cultural and linguistic diversity among staff; providing information about health and services in different languages; implementing evaluated, culturally adapted treatment and assessment models; maintaining sustainable community outreach in partnership with local communities and civil society organizations through cultural brokers; and establishing institutional structures and partnerships that help authorities understand local communities' mental health needs in context. [View the original poster](https://cslide.ctimeetingtech.com/wcp26/attendee/eposter/file/261) How to cite this study APA 7: Bäärnhielm, S., et al. (2026, September 23-26). Bridging barriers to mental health care for migrants – learning from intercultural communication initiatives during the covid-19 pandemic [E-poster]. 26th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP 2026), Stockholm, Sweden. https://cslide.ctimeetingtech.com/wcp26/attendee/eposter/file/261 Vancouver: Bäärnhielm S, et al. Bridging barriers to mental health care for migrants – learning from intercultural communication initiatives during the covid-19 pandemic [e-poster]. 26th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP 2026); 2026 Sep 23-26; Stockholm, Sweden. 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