Sepali Guruge
Biographic Data
| ID | 340499 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sepali Guruge |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sepali |
| FAMILY NAME | Guruge |
| SIGNATURE | GURUGE S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Toronto Metropolitan University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8459-2319 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 74 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 29 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Why Do Host-Country Residents and Local Hosting Actors Host Refugees? A JBI Scoping Review Protocol on Motivations, Hospitality Practices, Challenges, and Impacts in Private and Community Hosting
Background: Private and community hosting have emerged as important community-based responses to forced displacement, through which host-country citizens provide accommodation, practical support, and relational care to refugees in domestic and community settings. These hosting arrangements extend hospitality beyond commercial and tourism contexts into everyday spaces of welcome, co-living, and social support. Existing literature has examined a ra…
Circuits of Care in Displacement
Background Older refugees often navigate complex health care needs while aging in resettlement contexts. For Syrian refugees in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions, barriers within the Canadian health care system may shape how care is accessed, coordinated, and supplemented through transnational practices. Objective This study examines how older Syrian refugees aging in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions navigate health…
Bridging the Gap
OBJECTIVE: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects one in 50 children in Canada and one in 31 children in the United States. This scoping review aimed to identify barriers immigrant families encounter when accessing ASD services. METHOD: Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute framework, databases including CINAHL, Nursing & Allied Health Premium, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar were searched for peer-reviewed studies published within the past 10 years…
Navigating Transnational Healthcare
Picturing the ambiguity of homestay
This study explores the experiences of Ukrainian refugee women hosted by Canadian families in the Greater Toronto Area, focusing on the dynamics of this unique living arrangement amidst Toronto’s challenging housing situation. Using Feminist Standpoint Theory and a research-creation approach through Photovoice, eighteen Ukrainian refugee women shared and reflected on their experiences via photo elicitation interviews. The analysis, combining visu…
Home Away From Home”
Displaced by the Russian invasion, Ukrainian women face complex challenges in adapting to new environments. This study explores their experiences living in homestay arrangements in Canada, drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Critical Metaphor Analysis to examine how they express displacement, adaptation, and integration. Eighteen women participated through photo-elicitation interviews, metaphor-building activities using AI-generated images,…
Equitable Aging Among Migrants
Introduction: Older migrants often face systemic barriers such as limited access to health care, social support, and culturally appropriate services, which hinder dignified aging. This concept analysis aims to define equitable aging among migrants and develop a model to guide transcultural nursing care. Methodology: Using Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method, a systematic search following PRISMA-ScR guidelines yielded 351 records. After ded…
Breaking Siloed Policies
Amongst women and gender diverse (WGD) populations experiencing homelessness in Canada, one of the most vulnerable and understudied subgroups are those who are pregnant. A key barrier to accessing housing for this population are policies that lead to siloed sector work and complicated and inaccessible services. Frequent relocation and fragmented access to essential prenatal and postnatal support are the result. Experiences of homelessness for WGD…
Health citizenship reveals ‘extra’ work managing biopolitical risk for immigrants in Canada during Covid ‐19
One's health security (i.e., the ability to minimize risks and respond to public health threats) is a conferred right of citizenship but individuals construct identities during the process of securing their health. However, how this occurs, in relationship to the state, remains largely implicit or taken‐for‐granted. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19)' provided a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between oneself and governing soc…
Resettlement of Older Syrian Refugees in Canada
Existing literature documents how older refugees are at risk of social exclusion and isolation, yet few researchers have investigated the social inclusion of recently (re)settled older Syrian refugees in Canada. Here we apply the social inclusion model to older migrants to analyze the social inclusion of 360 Syrian refugee older adults (51+ years) in Canada. Results indicate that older Syrian refugees tend to have good health, a strong sense of b…
Super Visa Program
In November 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Canada paused the parents/grandparents (PGP) sponsorship immigration and announced a new Super Visa program simultaneously to facilitate family reunification, specifically among older adults waiting to be reunified with their children in Canada. We conducted a qualitative study to understand the experiences of immigrant families with the Super Visa Program. In total, 19 semi-structured interviews were…
Elder abuse risk factors
The findings highlight the need for collaboration among public health and social services to work with immigrant communities in co-designing interventions to address these key risk factors and thereby reduce the risk of elder abuse
Examining Different Strategies for Stigma Reduction and Mental Health Promotion in Asian Men in Toronto
Intersectionality as an Analytic Framework for Understanding the Experiences of Mental Health Stigma Among Racialized Men
Gender differences in perpetuating factors, experience and management of chronic insomnia
The higher prevalence of insomnia in women has been attributed to biological factors, which are less likely than cognitive and behavioral factors to play a role in perpetuating insomnia. Gender differences in perpetuating factors have not been extensively examined. This study compared men's and women's self-reports of factors that perpetuate insomnia; experience of symptoms, perceived severity and impact on daytime functioning; and use of strateg…
Healthcare needs and health service utilization by Syrian refugee women in Toronto
Responding to the healthcare needs of Syrian newcomer women in a timely and comprehensive manner requires coordinated, multi-sector initiatives that can address the financial, social, and structural barriers to their access and use of services
Improving Immigrant Populations’ Access to Mental Health Services in Canada
Older Brazilian women’s experience of psychological domestic violence
A support network is crucial to help changing the behaviour of aggressors and/or to help older adult women leave the abusive situation. Further research is needed to understand the risk factors linked to abuse behaviours, to develop educational programs for the abusers, and to design social support for the victims
A scoping review of mental health issues and concerns among immigrant and refugee youth in Canada
Enhancing Critical Reflection of Brazilian Community Health Agents’ Awareness of Social Determinants of Health
This project aims to assess how Brazilian community health agents’ critical awareness of the social determinants of health was enhanced and led to a greater understanding of the major structural changes necessary to sustain health promotion initiatives. Educational workshops inspired by Paulo Freire’s ideas on critical pedagogy were delivered to 82 community health agents in three Brazilian cities. The workshops utilized evocative objects to link…
Family Relationships of Afghan, Karen and Sudanese Refugee Youth
Research with immigrant and refugee families consistently documents acculturation gaps and role reversals between migrant youth and their parents. However, debate exists over whether these necessarily lead to family conflict and distress. This question was explored in this community-based qualitative study through focus groups and interviews with 70 newcomer refugee youth aged 16 to 24 from the Afghan, Karen and Sudanese communities in Toronto. T…
Aspirations for Higher Education among Newcomer Refugee Youth in Toronto
A large percentage of refugees have low levels of education and official language fluency upon arrival in Canada. Thi spaper discusses educational goals of newcomer refugee youth from three communities in Toronto (Afghan, Karen, and Sudanese), and explores how these are linked to premigration and post-migration determinants. Guided by community-based research principles, we collaborated with eight refugee youth peer researchers and conducted ten …
Perceptions of Factors Contributing to Intimate Partner Violence Among Sri Lankan Tamil Immigrant Women in Canada
In this article we explore Sri Lankan Tamil immigrant women's views on factors contributing to intimate partner violence (IPV). We conducted eight focus groups with young, midlife, and senior women and women who experienced IPV. Three main themes emerged: postmigration sources of stress and conflict, patriarchal social norms that dictated gendered behavior, and individual male attributes and behaviors. Study participants recognized gender inequal…
A Meta-synthesis of Post-migration Changes in Marital Relationships in Canada
Not Born a Refugee Woman
Aspirations for Higher Education among Newcomer Refugee Youth in Toronto
A large percentage of refugees have low levels of education and official language fluency upon arrival in Canada. Thi spaper discusses educational goals of newcomer refugee youth from three communities in Toronto (Afghan, Karen, and Sudanese), and explores how these are linked to premigration and post-migration determinants. Guided by community-based research principles, we collaborated with eight refugee youth peer researchers and conducted ten …
Family Relationships of Afghan, Karen and Sudanese Refugee Youth
Research with immigrant and refugee families consistently documents acculturation gaps and role reversals between migrant youth and their parents. However, debate exists over whether these necessarily lead to family conflict and distress. This question was explored in this community-based qualitative study through focus groups and interviews with 70 newcomer refugee youth aged 16 to 24 from the Afghan, Karen and Sudanese communities in Toronto. T…
The Impact of Migration on Marital Relationships
Little research has examined how migration affects marital relationships, or the processes by which immigrant couples adapt to their new circumstances. This paper presents data from a research project conducted with newcomer Ethiopians in Toronto, both married and divorced or separated. The objective of this paper is to document post-migration changes in the lives of newcomer couples and to examine the impact of post-migration changes on marital …
A Meta-synthesis of Post-migration Changes in Marital Relationships in Canada
Violence Is an International Language”
Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) across populations is challenging because of the multiplicity of definitions and lack of clarity about the behaviors that constitute IPV. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which Sri Lankan Tamil women in Toronto understand, define, and experience IPV. Focus group interviews were conducted with women representing different ages and stages of life. Findings suggest that definitions of I…
Resettlement of Older Syrian Refugees in Canada
Existing literature documents how older refugees are at risk of social exclusion and isolation, yet few researchers have investigated the social inclusion of recently (re)settled older Syrian refugees in Canada. Here we apply the social inclusion model to older migrants to analyze the social inclusion of 360 Syrian refugee older adults (51+ years) in Canada. Results indicate that older Syrian refugees tend to have good health, a strong sense of b…
Super Visa Program
In November 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Canada paused the parents/grandparents (PGP) sponsorship immigration and announced a new Super Visa program simultaneously to facilitate family reunification, specifically among older adults waiting to be reunified with their children in Canada. We conducted a qualitative study to understand the experiences of immigrant families with the Super Visa Program. In total, 19 semi-structured interviews were…
Curandero
These results offer new knowledge about the factors predicting stigma toward mental illness among Asian men in Western societies
Elder abuse risk factors
The findings highlight the need for collaboration among public health and social services to work with immigrant communities in co-designing interventions to address these key risk factors and thereby reduce the risk of elder abuse
Examining Different Strategies for Stigma Reduction and Mental Health Promotion in Asian Men in Toronto
Gender differences in perpetuating factors, experience and management of chronic insomnia
The higher prevalence of insomnia in women has been attributed to biological factors, which are less likely than cognitive and behavioral factors to play a role in perpetuating insomnia. Gender differences in perpetuating factors have not been extensively examined. This study compared men's and women's self-reports of factors that perpetuate insomnia; experience of symptoms, perceived severity and impact on daytime functioning; and use of strateg…
A Review of Theory and Health Promotion Strategies for New Immigrant
Curandero
These results offer new knowledge about the factors predicting stigma toward mental illness among Asian men in Western societies
Not Born a Refugee Woman
Violence Is an International Language”
Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) across populations is challenging because of the multiplicity of definitions and lack of clarity about the behaviors that constitute IPV. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which Sri Lankan Tamil women in Toronto understand, define, and experience IPV. Focus group interviews were conducted with women representing different ages and stages of life. Findings suggest that definitions of I…
The Impact of Migration on Marital Relationships
Little research has examined how migration affects marital relationships, or the processes by which immigrant couples adapt to their new circumstances. This paper presents data from a research project conducted with newcomer Ethiopians in Toronto, both married and divorced or separated. The objective of this paper is to document post-migration changes in the lives of newcomer couples and to examine the impact of post-migration changes on marital …
A Meta-synthesis of Post-migration Changes in Marital Relationships in Canada
Perceptions of Factors Contributing to Intimate Partner Violence Among Sri Lankan Tamil Immigrant Women in Canada
In this article we explore Sri Lankan Tamil immigrant women's views on factors contributing to intimate partner violence (IPV). We conducted eight focus groups with young, midlife, and senior women and women who experienced IPV. Three main themes emerged: postmigration sources of stress and conflict, patriarchal social norms that dictated gendered behavior, and individual male attributes and behaviors. Study participants recognized gender inequal…
Aspirations for Higher Education among Newcomer Refugee Youth in Toronto
A large percentage of refugees have low levels of education and official language fluency upon arrival in Canada. Thi spaper discusses educational goals of newcomer refugee youth from three communities in Toronto (Afghan, Karen, and Sudanese), and explores how these are linked to premigration and post-migration determinants. Guided by community-based research principles, we collaborated with eight refugee youth peer researchers and conducted ten …
Family Relationships of Afghan, Karen and Sudanese Refugee Youth
Research with immigrant and refugee families consistently documents acculturation gaps and role reversals between migrant youth and their parents. However, debate exists over whether these necessarily lead to family conflict and distress. This question was explored in this community-based qualitative study through focus groups and interviews with 70 newcomer refugee youth aged 16 to 24 from the Afghan, Karen and Sudanese communities in Toronto. T…
Enhancing Critical Reflection of Brazilian Community Health Agents’ Awareness of Social Determinants of Health
This project aims to assess how Brazilian community health agents’ critical awareness of the social determinants of health was enhanced and led to a greater understanding of the major structural changes necessary to sustain health promotion initiatives. Educational workshops inspired by Paulo Freire’s ideas on critical pedagogy were delivered to 82 community health agents in three Brazilian cities. The workshops utilized evocative objects to link…
Improving Immigrant Populations’ Access to Mental Health Services in Canada
Older Brazilian women’s experience of psychological domestic violence
A support network is crucial to help changing the behaviour of aggressors and/or to help older adult women leave the abusive situation. Further research is needed to understand the risk factors linked to abuse behaviours, to develop educational programs for the abusers, and to design social support for the victims
A scoping review of mental health issues and concerns among immigrant and refugee youth in Canada
Healthcare needs and health service utilization by Syrian refugee women in Toronto
Responding to the healthcare needs of Syrian newcomer women in a timely and comprehensive manner requires coordinated, multi-sector initiatives that can address the financial, social, and structural barriers to their access and use of services
Intersectionality as an Analytic Framework for Understanding the Experiences of Mental Health Stigma Among Racialized Men
Gender differences in perpetuating factors, experience and management of chronic insomnia
The higher prevalence of insomnia in women has been attributed to biological factors, which are less likely than cognitive and behavioral factors to play a role in perpetuating insomnia. Gender differences in perpetuating factors have not been extensively examined. This study compared men's and women's self-reports of factors that perpetuate insomnia; experience of symptoms, perceived severity and impact on daytime functioning; and use of strateg…
Examining Different Strategies for Stigma Reduction and Mental Health Promotion in Asian Men in Toronto
Elder abuse risk factors
The findings highlight the need for collaboration among public health and social services to work with immigrant communities in co-designing interventions to address these key risk factors and thereby reduce the risk of elder abuse
Super Visa Program
In November 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Canada paused the parents/grandparents (PGP) sponsorship immigration and announced a new Super Visa program simultaneously to facilitate family reunification, specifically among older adults waiting to be reunified with their children in Canada. We conducted a qualitative study to understand the experiences of immigrant families with the Super Visa Program. In total, 19 semi-structured interviews were…
Breaking Siloed Policies
Amongst women and gender diverse (WGD) populations experiencing homelessness in Canada, one of the most vulnerable and understudied subgroups are those who are pregnant. A key barrier to accessing housing for this population are policies that lead to siloed sector work and complicated and inaccessible services. Frequent relocation and fragmented access to essential prenatal and postnatal support are the result. Experiences of homelessness for WGD…
Health citizenship reveals ‘extra’ work managing biopolitical risk for immigrants in Canada during Covid ‐19
One's health security (i.e., the ability to minimize risks and respond to public health threats) is a conferred right of citizenship but individuals construct identities during the process of securing their health. However, how this occurs, in relationship to the state, remains largely implicit or taken‐for‐granted. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19)' provided a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between oneself and governing soc…
Resettlement of Older Syrian Refugees in Canada
Existing literature documents how older refugees are at risk of social exclusion and isolation, yet few researchers have investigated the social inclusion of recently (re)settled older Syrian refugees in Canada. Here we apply the social inclusion model to older migrants to analyze the social inclusion of 360 Syrian refugee older adults (51+ years) in Canada. Results indicate that older Syrian refugees tend to have good health, a strong sense of b…
Picturing the ambiguity of homestay
This study explores the experiences of Ukrainian refugee women hosted by Canadian families in the Greater Toronto Area, focusing on the dynamics of this unique living arrangement amidst Toronto’s challenging housing situation. Using Feminist Standpoint Theory and a research-creation approach through Photovoice, eighteen Ukrainian refugee women shared and reflected on their experiences via photo elicitation interviews. The analysis, combining visu…
Home Away From Home”
Displaced by the Russian invasion, Ukrainian women face complex challenges in adapting to new environments. This study explores their experiences living in homestay arrangements in Canada, drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Critical Metaphor Analysis to examine how they express displacement, adaptation, and integration. Eighteen women participated through photo-elicitation interviews, metaphor-building activities using AI-generated images,…
Equitable Aging Among Migrants
Introduction: Older migrants often face systemic barriers such as limited access to health care, social support, and culturally appropriate services, which hinder dignified aging. This concept analysis aims to define equitable aging among migrants and develop a model to guide transcultural nursing care. Methodology: Using Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method, a systematic search following PRISMA-ScR guidelines yielded 351 records. After ded…
Psychology (16 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Migration, Health and Trauma (14 works) · Political science (12 works) · Refugee (11 works) · Immigration (10 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Focus group (7 works) · Geography (7 works)