What actually do Syrian migrant women’s health practices tell us? A qualitative interpretive synthesis from Turkey

Abstract

Purpose The present qualitative interpretive synthesis (QIS) aimed to re-interpret and understand in detail the findings of the studies related to the health practices of Syrian migrant women living in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach İn this study, the QIS method was used. Three articles were included in the present QIS study from the five electronic databases. Findings Present QIS has once and again emphasized that Syrian immigrant women have health problems, yet face problems accessing health-care services. While the women suffer from various health problems and have health care needs such as pregnancy or maternity, they give priority to the needs of their children and other family members and often postpone taking care of themselves. The most important finding was that migrant women do not want to give up on their cultural teachings. Research limitations/implications There were only a limited number of studies available for review that fit into the inclusion criteria; the low sample sizes across the included studies posed additional limitations. Despite these limitations, these findings suggest important implications, indicating the migrant women’s health practices from a systemic perspective. Social implications All these issues and concerns should be addressed with empathy for developing sustainable health policies and nurturing healthy future generations in Turkey. Originality/value This study is the first study that used the QIS approach to understand and re-interpret qualitative studies findings. Then, this study also emphasized the necessity of looking at the health of migrant women’s health from different perspectives.