*Limitations and Strengths*

One limitation worth noting is that the data were collected eight years ago. However, the data are still relevant because similar issues exist in our community. As such, the need to advocate for programs and policy on AOD use and mental health issue for migrant

youths in this community persists. The paper has the potential to contribute to the scant body of literature on AOD use and mental health issue among African migrant youths in Australia. A lot of the views expressed by participants in the current study were about their peers and provided essential insights into AOD use and mental health issue in this population. Another limitation was the use of English language in conducting focus group discussions and interviews, although only participants with conversational English were enrolled. Therefore, this limits the transferability of the findings to youths who do not speak English as they may have different experiences or barriers that need to be addressed. Participants of this study were recruited from metropolitan Adelaide and might have missed African youths living outside of Adelaide. However, the use of an African youth worker to engage participants in the study was a strength, facilitating capacity building in the community. Additionally, the strength of the evidence provided by the findings of this study outweighs its limitations and thence adding to the body of knowledge. Moreover, the researchers' knowledge and lived experiences of the African culture and context in Australia has shaped the data analysis and interpretations by focusing on pertinent issues that require attention to support African migrant youths in Australia.

#### **5. Conclusions**

African migrant youths in Australia revealed significant challenges and barriers which were rooted in their pre-and and post-migration contexts. As a result of needing to adapt to their new society, there was a consensus among the study participants that African migrant youths were conflicted, and their effort to fit in led to adverse outcomes, including AOD use and mental health issue. The findings of this study are important and provide some insight into the contexts in which AOD use and mental health issue occur among African youths in Australia. Recognizing these contexts calls for interventions that address the underlying social determinants of health among African migrant youths in Australia. Addressing these socio-environmental factors that foster distress including employment opportunities and culturally unsafe service provision is necessary in order to provide effective and supportive services for these population groups and improve their mental health and wellbeing.

**Author Contributions:** L.M. designed the study, carried out the data collection and analysis, and participated in drafting the manuscript. W.M. was involved in data analysis and drafting the manuscript. Both authors contributed to reviewing the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee (SBREC) of Flinders University (protocol code 5604, approved on 6 June 2012).

**Informed Consent Statement:** Written informed consents were obtained from the participants to publish this paper.

**Data Availability Statement:** The data used for the current study are not possible to share for ethical reasons. The Ethical review board (SBRECS) of Flinders University requires that the data are not shared without the consent of participants, who are currently not accessible.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors acknowledge the participants of this study.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
