No abstract

PurposeThe Bhutanese refugee camps of eastern Nepal are home to a mass resettlement operation; over half the population has been relocated within the past five years. While recent research suggests Bhutanese refugees are experiencing degradation of social networks and rising suicide rates, little is known about ethnocultural pathways to coping and resilience in this population.Design/methodology/approachA common coping measure (Brief COPE) was adapted to the linguistic and cultural context of the refugee camps and administered to a representative sample of 193 Bhutanese refugees as part of a broader ten‐month ethnographic study of resilience.FindingsActive coping, planning, and positive reframing were the most frequently utilized strategies, followed by acceptance, religion, and seeking emotional support. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in five factors: humor, denial, behavioral disengagement; positive reframing, planning, active coping; emotional support, instrumental support; interpersonal (a new sub‐scale), acceptance, self‐blame; and venting, religion.Research implicationsData support the relevance of some dimensions of coping while revealing particularities of this population.Practical implicationsFindings can inform future research and intervention efforts aimed at reducing suicide and promoting mental health across the Bhutanese refugee diaspora.Originality/valueThis is the first mixed‐methods study of coping in the Bhutanese refugee camp population since the start of a mass resettlement exercise. Qualitative data and ethnography were used to illuminate measured trends in local coping behavior.

The recent rise in suicide among Bhutanese refugees has been linked to the erosion of social networks and community supports in the ongoing resettlement process. This paper presents ethnographic findings on the role of informal care practiced by relatives, friends, and neighbors in the prevention and alleviation of mental distress in two Bhutanese refugee communities: the refugee camps of eastern Nepal and the resettled community of Burlington, Vermont, US. Data gathered through interviews ( n = 40, camp community; n = 22, resettled community), focus groups (four, camp community), and participant observation (both sites) suggest that family members, friends, and neighbors were intimately involved in the recognition and management of individual distress, often responding proactively to perceived vulnerability rather than reactively to help-seeking. They engaged practices of care that attended to the root causes of distress, including pragmatic, social, and spiritual interventions, alongside those which targeted feelings in the "heart-mind" and behavior. In line with other studies, we found that the possibilities for care in this domain had been substantially constrained by resettlement. Initiatives that create opportunities for strengthening or extending social networks or provide direct support in meeting perceived needs may represent fruitful starting points for suicide prevention and mental health promotion in this population. We close by offering some reflections on how to better understand and account for informal care systems in the growing area of research concerned with identifying and addressing disparities in mental health resources across diverse contexts.