Lisa Merry

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Université de Montréal

We examined the link between discrimination and self-rated mental health (SRMH) among immigrants and Canadian-born individuals, stratified according to an individual’s identification as racialized or white. Using data from Canada’s General Social Survey (2014) (weighted N = 27,575,000) with a novel oversample of immigrants, we estimated the associa...

The systems of dietary and body that favor the prevention and control of type 2 diabetes (T2D) go against what is vital for most of the migrant population, exposing them to conflicts of norms that are difficult to reconcile. The purpose of this scoping review is to identify factors that may influence the acceptance or rejection of dietary and body...

Background Given the number of barriers that migrant women confront while accessing maternity care in receiving countries, it is expected that they may engage in and rely on transnational healthcare to maintain their health and well-being during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and identify predictors of transna...

Background Climate change in combination with other social, economic, and political factors, can result in population displacement, relocation or migration, which may be forced or may be a voluntary adaptation strategy. For some, however, moving is not an option due to a lack of access to resources, capacity and power. These experiences have implic...

Among migrant and socioeconomically disadvantaged preschool-aged children followed in social perinatal primary care services in Montreal, Canada, we estimated the prevalence of overweight/obesity and identified determinants of body mass index z-score (zBMI) at 4–5 years old. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic medical records...

Migrant families’ transnational ties (i.e., connections to their countries of origin) may contribute to their hardships and/or may be a source of resiliency. A care approach that addresses these transnational ties may foster a positive identity and give coherence to experiences. We conducted an integrative review to determine what is known about tr...

Introduction : Les populations autochtones au Canada sont disproportionnellement touchées par le virus de l’hépatite C (VHC). L’intégration des cultures et savoirs autochtones aux interventions de santé est fragmentée et la pratique infirmière présente des lacunes à cet égard. Objectifs : Cette revue narrative des écrits visait à analyser les inter...

Background Policymakers and program developers in low-and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) are increasingly seeking evidence-based information and guidance on how to successfully develop and implement continuing professional development (CPD) systems. We conducted a rapid scoping review to map and synthesize what is known regarding the develo...

Prévalence et déterminants de l'obésité chez les enfants d'âge préscolaire vivant dans un contexte de vulnérabilités sociales et économiques : Les données démontrent une prévalence élevée de surpoids et d'obésité chez des enfants d'âge préscolaire suivis depuis la naissance dans un centre de soins primaires communautaire. Bien qu'élevée, cette prév...

Abstract Objectives There is little research examining transnational prenatal care (TPC) (i.e., prenatal care in more than one country) among migrant women. Using data from the Migrant-Friendly Maternity Care (MFMC) - Montreal project, we aimed to: (1) Estimate the prevalence of TPC, including TPC-arrived during pregnancy and TPC-arrived pre-pregna...

Aim To explore and describe the chronic illness self‐care experiences of Indonesian immigrants living in Montreal, Canada and to gain a better understanding of how religion and support shaped these experiences. Design Qualitative description. Methods Data were collected from January to March 2020 via semi‐structured interviews. Eight men and wome...

Background Migrant women with young children, including asylum seekers and refugees, have multiple vulnerability factors that put them at increased risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with negative health outcomes. This study explored the experiences of social isolation and loneliness among migrant mothers with children ag...

Background Migrants commonly maintain transnational ties as they relocate and settle in a new country. There is a growing body of research examining transnationalism and health. We sought to identify how transnationalism has been defined and operationalized in migrant health research in high income countries and to document which populations and he...

I will present findings from a qualitative study in Montreal, that aimed to gain a better understanding of the experiences of social isolation and loneliness, key contributors to mental health problems, among asylum seeking families with young children. Using semi-structured interviews, we interviewed 14 families from 11 countries who had children...

Background International and migrant students face specific challenges which may impact their mental health, well-being and academic outcomes, and these may be gendered experiences. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the literature on the challenges, coping responses and supportive interventions for international and migrant students in...

Background: International and migrant students face specific challenges which may impact their mental health, well-being and academic outcomes, and these may be gendered experiences. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the literature on the challenges, coping responses and supportive interventions for international and migrant students in...

Objectives There is a paucity of research on patterns of cyber-victimization in minority groups, including immigrants. This study aimed to identify individual, interpersonal and contextual characteristics associated with cyber-victimization among immigrants and non-immigrants. Methods We drew on nationally representative data from adolescents and...

Background Self-care (i.e., the actions towards monitoring and managing chronic illness and maintaining health) is an essential aspect of chronic disease management. These experiences are shaped by culture and values, health literacy, support from others and access to care. We conducted a study to explore the chronic illness self-care experiences a...

We conducted a literature review to document what is known regarding the self-care experiences and various influencing factors among adults living with chronic disease in Indonesia, from the perspective of those living with the illness. We searched CINAHL and Google Scholar to identify peer-reviewed research focused on men and/or women living with...

Background: Migrant families' transnational ties (i.e., connections to their countries of origin) may contribute to their hardships and/or may be a source of resiliency. A care approach that addresses these transnational ties may foster a positive identity and give coherence to experiences. We conducted an integrative review to determine what is k...

In 2019, 30,615 asylum claims were made in Quebec, representing almost half of the claims made in Canada. Asylum-seeking families with young children (0 to 5 years) represent a significant proportion of this population. Canada, as well as Quebec, have a responsibility to protect asylum seekers and to ensure that public policies promote health and w...

Objectives There is a paucity of research on patterns of cyber-victimization in minority groups, including immigrants. This study aimed at identifying individual, interpersonal and contextual characteristics associated with cyber-victimization among immigrants and non-immigrants. Methods We drew on nationally representative data from adolescents an...

Objectives: There is a paucity of research on patterns of cyber-victimization in minority groups, including immigrants. This study aimed at identifying individual, interpersonal and contextual characteristics associated with cyber-victimization among immigrants and non-immigrants. Methods: We drew on nationally representative data from adolescents...

Background Migrant families’ transnational ties may contribute to their hardships and/or may be a source of resiliency. A care approach that acknowledges these transnational ties may foster a positive identity and give coherence to experiences. We conducted an integrative review to determine if there is evidence that health and social services supp...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight gaps in the literature regarding transnational ties, the experience of raising and caring for children in a new (high-income) country and well-being, and to propose a program of research to address these gaps. Design/methodology/approach A general review of the literature on international migration...

Introduction There is a gap in research regarding transnational family support (emotional, practical, spiritual, informational and financial) as a resource for migrant families with children. From the perspective of migrant families and their family back home, the objectives of this study are to (1) identify the types and ways that transnational fa...

Introduction La Maison Bleue is a community-based perinatal health and social centre in Montreal that provides services during pregnancy up to age five to families living in vulnerable contexts. The study aimed to describe: 1) the challenges and protective factors that affect the well-being of migrant families receiving care at La Maison Bleue; and...

The number of vulnerable migrants in Canada is on the rise. While debates on immigration policies have been at the forefront, there has been little dialogue regarding the health and well-being of refugees, asylum-seekers and non-status migrants despite the significant health inequities that these populations face. In this context, health research t...

Aim: To describe the facilitators and barriers for nurses to perform quality wound care in three surgical wards of a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Background: Up to a quarter of patients in low- and middle-income countries may acquire at least one infection while hospitalized. There is a paucity of research investigating nursing wound care...

Background: Continuing education is an integral part of nursing professional development and improving healthcare delivery, but literature on continuing education initiatives in low-resource settings is limited. Purpose: To describe the creation and integration of a nurse educator (NE) position in two Haitian hospitals and highlight barriers and...

Objective: To synthesize the recent qualitative literature and identify the integrative themes describing the parenthood experiences of refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants. Methods: We searched seven online databases for the period January 2006 to February 2017. We included English and French published peer-reviewed articles and g...

International migrant women of childbearing age represent a large proportion of immigrants to high-income countries, yet research focusing on their postpartum health is limited. We investigated predictive factors for breast and non-breast pain 1 week post-birth in migrant and non-migrant women in Canada. Among migrant women, difficulty accessing he...

PurposeThe objective was to examine and compare risk factors for postpartum depression among: (1) recent (≤5 years) migrant and Canadian-born women, and (2) refugee, asylum-seeking, and non-refugee immigrant women. MethodsA sample of 1536 women (1024 migrant and 512 Canadian-born) were recruited from 12 hospitals. Women completed questionnaires at...

Background People who leave their country of origin, or the country of habitual residence, to establish themselves permanently in another country are usually referred to as migrants. Over half of all births in Montreal, Canada are to migrant women. To understand healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards migrants that could influence their deliver...

This study assessed the prevalence, continuation, and identification of maternal depressive symptomatology over the first 16 weeks postpartum among refugee, asylum-seeking, non-refugee immigrant, and Canadian-born women. A sample of 1125 women (143 refugees, 369 asylum-seekers, 303 non-refugee immigrant, and 310 Canadian-born) completed the Edinbur...

Background: Research has yielded little understanding of factors associated with high cesarean rates among migrant women (i.e., women born abroad). The objective of this study was to identify medical, migration, social, and health service predictors of unplanned cesareans among low-risk migrant women from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)....

Background: High caesarean rates are of concern given associated risks. International migrant women (women born abroad) represent a substantial proportion of women giving birth in high-income countries (HICs) and face social conditions that may exacerbate childbearing health risks. Among migrant women, emergency rather than planned caesareans, ten...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore factors associated with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, where there has been a mass third-country resettlement operation in place since 2007. Design/methodology/approach – A case-control study was conducted in which the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT...

High caesarean birth rates among migrant women living in high-income countries are of concern. Women from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia consistently show overall higher rates compared with non-migrant women, whereas women from Latin America and North Africa/Middle East consistently show higher rates of emergency caesarean. Higher rates are more...

The migration of health professionals from low-and middle-income to high-income countries has received much attention amongst the global health community as an important factor influencing health care systems. There is however, much less dialogue about internationally trained health professionals who are not able to practice their professions in th...

Aim: The aim of this paper was to (1) highlight nursing continuing education as a key initiative for strengthening healthcare delivery in low-resource settings, and (2) provide an example of a nursing continuing education programme in Haiti. Background: Haiti and other low-resource settings face extreme challenges including severe shortages of h...

Fear of burdening or harming childbearing, migrant women, particularly refugees or others who have experienced war, torture, abuse, or rape, can result in their exclusion from research. This exclusion prohibits health issues and related solutions to be identified for this population. For this reason, while it may be challenging to include these wom...

Objective: To determine the predictors of emergency cesarean delivery among international migrant women. Methods: Between February 2006 and May 2009, 1025 postpartum migrant women were recruited from 12 hospitals in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Logistic regression was used to model migration, social, health service, and biomedical factors p...

Perinatal health disparities including disparities in caesarean births have been observed between migrant and non-migrant women and some literature suggests that non-medical factors may be implicated. A systematic review was conducted to determine if migrants in Western industrialized countries consistently have different rates of caesarean than re...

This article draws on the literature to present a conceptualization of global health (GH) that corresponds with the discipline of nursing and defines the contributions of nursing to GH. The author's perspective is that "health" should be defined and considered holistically to reflect the fact that GH involves more than the eradication of disease an...

Over 125,000 women immigrate to Canada yearly-most in their childbearing years and many having given birth before immigrating. We sought to (1) examine the background characteristics and mental health profile of women separated from their children due to migration and subsequently giving birth in Canada ("dual-country (DC) mothers") and (2) contras...

There are over 214 million international migrants worldwide, half of whom are women, and all of them assigned by the receiving country to an immigration class. Immigration classes are associated with certain health risks and regulatory restrictions related to eligibility for health care. Prior to this study, reports of international migrant post-bi...

Purpose: To answer the question: are there differences in cesarean section rates among childbearing women in Canada according to selected migration indicators? Methods: Secondary analyses of 3,500 low-risk women who had given birth between January 2003 and April 2004 in one of ten hospitals in the major Canadian migrant-receiving cities (Montrea...

Background: Violence associated with pregnancy is a major public health concern, but little is known about it in recent migrant women. This study looked at (1) risk factors for violence associated with pregnancy among newly arrived migrant women in Canada and (2) if those who experienced violence associated with pregnancy had a different health pr...

The movement of women across international borders is occurring at greater rates than ever before, yet the relationship between migration and women's health has been under-explored. One reason may be difficulty measuring migration variables including country of birth, length of time in country, immigration status, language ability, and ethnicity. A...

Access to services for international migrants living in Canada is especially important during the postpartum period when additional health services and support are key to maternal and infant health. Recent studies found refugee claimant women to have a high number of postpartum health and social concerns that were not being addressed by the Canadia...

There is a paucity of literature on how to conduct research with migrants, particularly those who do not speak the host country language, those who are newly arrived, and those who have a precarious immigration status. In qualitative research, interviewing is a common method for obtaining rich data and participants' points of view. Gathering and pr...

The need to collect health data from refugees and asylum seekers often requires that questionnaires be translated. Verifying the clarity, meaning, and acceptability of translated questionnaires with monolingual persons, individuals from the target population who primarily speak and understand only the test language, is one important step in the tra...

Careers in clinical research management are increasingly common. Despite nurses' important role in clinical research, their status as research professionals is underrecognized. In this article, we describe the role of a "program coordinator" (PC) in the context of a complex research program on migration and reproductive health. The PC role expands...

Worldwide immigration to many high-income countries suggests that these countries' health care systems must become responsive to a more diverse population. Experiences working with newly arrived populations can provide healthcare students, professionals, and teachers, with valuable insight into the health and social conditions these newcomers face...

Differences in relationship power dynamics or migration factors may affect knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in resettling Migrant women. A sample of 122 women and men born in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh and residing in Montreal completed questionnaires on HIV/STI KAP...

Minority women from conflict-laden areas with limited host-country knowledge are among the most vulnerable migrants. Their risk status and that of their infants is magnified during pregnancy, birth, and post-birth. We conducted a study to determine whether women's postnatal health concerns were addressed by the Canadian health system differentially...

Refugee and asylum-seeking women in Canada may have significant harmful childbearing health outcomes and unmet health and social care needs. The most vulnerable of these women are: those who have left their countries by force (e.g., war, rape or abuse histories), are separated from their families, have limited knowledge of the host country language...

A workshop was conducted as part of the International Metropolis Conference held in Vienna, Austria in September 2003. The Metropolis Project is meant to facilitate research in the area of migration that can optimally inform policy. In this context, a workshop was conducted with the objective of discussing how policy-relevant research on discrimina...

Resettling refugee women may be at greater risk than other women for several harmful reproductive health out- comes as a result of their migration experience. The objec- tive of this study was to determine differences in reproductive health status between refugee women in countries of resettlement and non-refugee counterparts. A systematic review o...