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Introduction
Minneapolis has been described as a thriving hub for Somali culture, with a vibrant and growing community of Somali people who settled there as refugees (Omar, 2013). Despite the strength of this community, its members face many challenges, including a legacy of war-related violence and trauma and the challenges of adjusting to life in the USA (Halcón et al., 2004). Resettlement is often very difficult, leading to stresses (Elmi, 1999; Johnsdotter and Ingvarsdotter, 2011) including dealing with isolation, concern about family who have not been resettled, and changing roles of family members (Elmi, 1999). The challenges of resettlement, and the difficulties faced before arriving in the USA, can lead to psychological problems (Halcón et al., 2004). In Minnesota, these concerns exist in the context of a broad range of difficulties that have been identified for the health of the Somali community, including an increased likelihood of physical, emotional, and social challenges for Somali women due to high levels of previous exposure to trauma (Robertson et al., 2006). Somali women can also feel that their needs are not often well met in the US health system (Pavlish et al., 2010; Johnson et al., 2009). These types of challenges are frequently reported in the literature highlighting concerns about the mental health of African immigrants (Venters and Gany, 2011).
Practitioners in the US health system need to better understand the Somali experience of mental health and mental illness in the USA in order to consider ways in which to better support the Somali community in a timely, effective, and appropriate manner. Mental health issues, such as depression, are both common and costly (Greenberg et al., 2003; Katon and Schulberg, 1992; Shah, 1992) and are also more prevalent and persistent for those living in underserved communities (Ostler et al., 2001). Despite the availability of effective treatments for depression, underserved communities face disparities in access to treatment (Lasser et al., 2006). These disparities might be further exacerbated for those who are refugees, because these groups face additional barriers to engaging services, such as distrust of authority, stigma around seeking mental health services, linguistic or cultural barriers, and the ongoing impact of the stressors faced when settling in a new country (Ellis