Emily Miller

Dr Emily Miller

School of Education

College of Education, Behavioural and Social Science

My research spans several projects investigating experiences in Australia and internationally for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, their familes, and their communities. I engage with research with an aim for transformative outcomes that are responsive to refugee and migrant communities and the service providers working with them. Findings from my work provide evidence to impact policy and practice and improve access and equity for otherwise marginalised individuals and communities. Building on my prior experiences working in high schools as a supprt worker and as a teacher, my PhD focused on the experiences in school for students from refugee backgrounds. This research had an emphasis on mental health and wellbeing, as well as pathways to further education, training, and employment. I have worked with interdisciplinary teams on a range of research projects investigating several social determinants of health in settlement including education, employment, family relationships, and mental health and wellbeing. 

Year Citation
2025 Lerias, D., Ziaian, T., Arthur, N., Augoustinos, M., Pir, T., & Miller, E. (2025). The Mental Health of Refugee and Migrant Youth after Settlement: Outcomes of a Multinational Study. Community Mental Health Journal, 61(7), 1334-1367.
DOI
2025 Dasarband, B., Ziaian, T., Augoustinos, M., Oudih, E., & Miller, E. (2025). Marital relationships after migration: a review of Iranian migrants' experiences. Marriage & Family Review, online, 1-36.
DOI
2024 Lerias, D., Ziaian, T., Miller, E., Arthur, N., Augoustinos, M., & Pir, T. (2024). The Role of Acculturative Stress on the Mental Health of Immigrant Youth: A Scoping Literature Review. Community Mental Health Journal, 61(3), 1-30.
DOI Scopus14 WoS13 Europe PMC10
2024 Miller, E., Ziaian, T., Baak, M., & de Anstiss, H. (2024). Recognition of refugee students' cultural wealth and social capital in resettlement. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28(5), 611-628.
DOI Scopus13 WoS9
2023 Mwanri, L., Miller, E., Walsh, M., Baak, M., & Ziersch, A. (2023). Social capital and rural health for refugee communities in Australia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3, article no. 2378), 2378.
DOI Scopus11 Europe PMC5
2023 Baak, M., Miller, E., Johnson, B., & Sullivan, A. (2023). Structure and agency in the development of education policies for refugee-background students. Australian Educational Researcher, 50(2), 561-579.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3
2023 Baak, M., Miller, E., Johnson, B., & Sullivan, A. (2023). Correction to: Structure and agency in the development of education policies or refugee-background students. The Australian Educational Researcher, 50(4), 1273.
DOI
2023 Ziaian, T., Puvimanasinghe, T., Miller, E., de Anstiss, H., Esterman, A., Dollard, M., & Afsharian, A. (2023). Family influence on refugee youth education and employment aspirations and choices. Journal of Family Studies, 29(1), 115-133.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7
2023 Ziersch, A., Miller, E., Walsh, M., Due, C., Callaghan, P., Howe, J., & Green, E. (2023). ‘I really want to work for me to feel good myself ‘: Health impacts of employment experiences for women from refugee backgrounds in Australia. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 3(100209), 1.
DOI Scopus8 WoS5
2023 Ziaian, T., Puvimanasinghe, T., Miller, E., Augoustinos, M., Esterman, A., Baddeley, M., . . . Pir, T. (2023). Rebuilding life after migration: Research protocol of a mixed methods study on settlement experiences of refugee and migrant youth. PLoS ONE, 18(4 APRIL), e0285023.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC1
2023 Ziaian, T., Miller, E., Puvimanasinghe, T., Esterman, A., Dollard, M., & de Anstiss, H. (2023). Family functioning and the psychological wellbeing of refugee-background youth in Australia. Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, online, 1-16.
DOI Scopus4 WoS5
2022 Miller, E., Ziaian, T., de Anstiss, H., & Baak, M. (2022). Ecologies of resilience for Australian high school students from refugee backgrounds: quantitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 1-17.
DOI Scopus11 WoS8 Europe PMC6
2022 Miller, E., Ziaian, T., de Anstiss, H., & Baak, M. (2022). Practices for inclusion, structures of marginalisation: experiences of refugee background students in Australian secondary schools. Australian Educational Researcher, 49(5), 1063-1084.
DOI Scopus12 WoS12
2021 Ziaian, T., Puvimanasinghe, T., Miller, E., De Anstiss, H., Esterman, A., & Dollard, M. (2021). Identity and belonging: refugee youth and their parents’ perception of being Australian. Australian Psychologist, 56(2), 123-136.
DOI Scopus12 WoS9
2021 Afsharian, A., Dollard, M., Miller, E., Puvimanasinghe, T., Esterman, A., De Anstiss, H., & Ziaian, T. (2021). Refugees at work: The preventative role of psychosocial safety climate against workplace harassment, discrimination and psychological distress. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(20), 10696-1-10696-14.
DOI Scopus18 WoS15 Europe PMC10
2021 Baak, M., Miller, E., Sullivan, A., & Heugh, K. (2021). Tensions between policy aspirations and enactment: assessment and inclusion for refugee background students. Journal of Education Policy, 36(6), 760-778.
DOI Scopus16 WoS14
2020 Baak, M., Miller, E., Ziersch, A., Due, C., Masocha, S., & Ziaian, T. (2020). The Role of Schools in Identifying and Referring Refugee Background Young People Who Are Experiencing Mental Health Issues. Journal of School Health, 90(3), 172-181.
DOI Scopus31 WoS27 Europe PMC11
2020 Ziersch, A., Miller, E., Baak, M., & Mwanri, L. (2020). Integration and social determinants of health and wellbeing for people from refugee backgrounds resettled in a rural town in South Australia: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 20(1700), 1-16.
DOI Scopus61 WoS46 Europe PMC25
2019 Baak, M., & Miller, E. (2019). 'Everything's about English...': English as an additional language as a diagnosis of deficit for students from refugee backgrounds. Redress, 28(2), 39-43.
2019 Ziaian, T., Miller, E., De Anstiss, H., Puvimanasinghe, T., Dollard, M., Esterman, A., . . . Stewart-Jones, T. (2019). Refugee youth and transition to further education, training, and employment in Australia: Research protocol of a mixed methods study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(7), e12632-1-e12632-9.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7 Europe PMC1
2018 Ziaian, T., de Anstiss, H., Puvimanasinghe, T., & Miller, E. (2018). Refugee students' psychological wellbeing and experiences in the Australian education system: a mixed-methods investigation. Australian Psychologist, 53(4), 345-354.
DOI Scopus31 WoS27
2018 Miller, E., Ziaian, T., & Esterman, A. (2018). Australian school practices and the education experiences of students with a refugee background: a review of the literature. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(4), 339-359.
DOI Scopus73 WoS63
2018 Ziaian, T., Puvimanasinghe, T., Miller, E., De Anstiss, H., Dollard, M., Esterman, A., . . . Afsharian, A. (2018). Challenges, facilitators and enablers of conducting research with youth from refugee backgrounds. The Australian Community Psychologist, 29(2), 56-73.
WoS7

Year Citation
2024 Puvimanasinghe, T., Miller, E., Esterman, A., Augoustinos, M., Arthur, N., Baddeley, M., & Ziaian, T. (2024). Family support, life satisfaction, and prosocial behaviour of young people in the settlement. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY Vol. 59 (pp. 219). JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.
2023 Miller, E., Ziaian, T., de Anstiss, H., & Baak, M. (2023). Inclusive school practices in countries of refugee resettlement: A mixed methods study with students. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY Vol. 58 (pp. 419). JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.
2023 Ziaian, T., Puvimanasinghe, T., Miller, E., & de Anstiss, H. (2023). Transforming challenges into opportunities in cross-cultural research. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY Vol. 58 (pp. 746). JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

Year Citation
2025 Ziaian, T., Puvimanasinghe, T., Augoustinos, M., Esterman, A., Arthur, N., Baddeley, M., . . . de Anstiss, H. (2025). Re-building life after migration: settlement experiences of refugee and migrant youth. Full report.. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2025 Baak, M., Windle, J., Bediako, K., Miller, E., Magoi, H., & Maughan, L. (2025). African Communities Response (ACR) program evaluation. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2024 Baak, M., Windle, J., & Miller, E. (2024). Youth connect program evaluation. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2020 Viljoen, J. M., Miller, E., & Arya, V. (2020). An investigation of international undergraduate students' wellbeing and sense of belonging at the University of South Australia: research report. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2019 Ziaian, T., Barrie, H., Puvimanasinghe, T., Miller, E., Dollard, M., Esterman, A., . . . Afsharian, A. (2019). Pathways to active citizenship: refugee youth and their transition from school to further education, training and employment: Corporate body:Multicultural Youth, South Australia (MYSA) partner organisations. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2019 Baak, M., Johnson, B., Sullivan, A., Slee, R., Brown, J. L., & Miller, E. (2019). School practices to support students from refugee backgrounds. South Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2019 Baak, M., Johnson, B., Sullivan, A., Slee, R., & Miller, E. (2019). Who are refugee background young people?. South Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2019 Baak, M., & Miller, E. (2019). Engagement with African-Australian families in South Australian Catholic Schools. Australia: Catholic Education South Australia.
2018 Baak, M., Miller, E., Sullivan, A., & Heugh, K. (2018). Improving educational outcomes for students from refugee backgrounds in the South Australian certificate of education project: a case study of two Catholic schools. Australia: University of South Australia.

  • Culturally responsive interventions to justice-involved African-Australians: research evaluation, SA Dept of Human Services, 02/12/2024 - 31/08/2025

  • Wellbeing, integration and seeking help after migration, Preventive Health SA, 25/06/2024 - 31/03/2025

  • Evaluation study with Relationships Australia South Australia, Relationships Australia South Australia Limited, 04/05/2023 - 15/11/2023

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