Coping, resilience and posttraumatic growth among Eritrean female refugees living in Norwegian asylum reception centres: A qualitative study

Abraham, Ruth; Lien, Lars; Hanssen, Ingrid

doi:10.1177/0020764018765237

Cited by 53 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Likewise, Sudanese refugees relied on religion as a coping mechanism, as religion provided both relief and a way to deal with their feelings of loneliness and depression [30]. The reported religious coping mechanisms (for example, prayer or general faith) were also determined to be effective tools in studies on Eritrean refugee women [31] and refugees in South Africa [32]; those refugees described prayer as a source of strength and hope. Prayers allowed the refugees to find comfort, guidance, and purpose in their difficult life situations and found that prayer could help them reduce the stress they experienced.…”

Section: Coping Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Perceptions of Trauma, Complaints, Somatization, and Coping Strategies among Syrian Refugees in Germany—A Qualitative Study of an At-Risk Population

Zbidat

Georgiadou

Borho

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background: A high prevalence of mental distress, especially posttraumatic stress disorder, has been widely confirmed among refugees. In order to establish adequate interventions in psychotherapy, however, it must first be examined whether refugees have similar ideas and concepts of stress, trauma, and healing. This study, therefore, aimed to analyze the representations of trauma, self-reported complaints, indications of somatization, and coping strategies among a refugee population. Methods: Semi-structured interviews based on the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) were conducted with Syrian refugees who have residence permission in Germany. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to the qualitative content analysis of Mayring. The foci of interest were determined on the basis of the predefined interview guideline, and inductive subcategories were extracted from the transcripts. Results: Sixteen refugees participated (50% women; mean age: 35.5 years, SD = 11.2; the mean duration of stay in Germany: 23.3 months, SD = 6.6). War experiences were the most frequently reported subjective perceptions of trauma. Frequently reported complaints included sleeping disturbance, cardiovascular symptoms, rumination, and pain. Among half of the participants, we found indications of somatization. We identified the following coping strategies: Activity, cognitive coping, social coping, religious coping, avoidance, and emotional coping. Conclusions: War-related traumatic events are the most common trauma perceptions among Syrian refugees. The self-reported complaints demonstrate somatoform, depressive, and posttraumatic symptoms. Syrian refugees should be screened for somatization, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder and should receive targeted interventions that consider and support individual coping resources.

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Section: Coping Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Perceptions of Trauma, Complaints, Somatization, and Coping Strategies among Syrian Refugees in Germany—A Qualitative Study of an At-Risk Population

Zbidat

Georgiadou

Borho

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Refugee students face the bureaucracy and schooling expectations of education institutions, and so must learn to quickly navigate a system whose policies and standards are widely unfamiliar and vastly unknown [19,20]. That said, an inclusive education system that provides abilities, skills and knowledge for future employment enables people to become more constructive and active members of society [21][22][23].…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refugee Students in Spain: The Role of Universities as Sustainable Actors in Institutional Integration

Marcu

2018

Sustainability

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This article examines the role of institutions-particularly universities-in the recent refugee crisis. It contributes to the debate on the integration of refugees through the higher education system in Spain. Based on semi-structured interviews with refugees and experts in the institutions linked to the reception and integration of refugees, the paper presents evidence-albeit within an under-developed field of analysis-which has strong practical and sustainable policy implications. I argue that expanding access to university, by recognizing refugees' qualifications and their overcoming of language barriers, increases the potential of refugees to contribute to the socio-economic progress of the receiving country and thus avoid marginalization. The evidence-based analysis of the effectiveness of the existing initiatives and programs for the integration of student refugees identifies challenges that still need to be addressed. The conclusions highlight the role of universities as sustainable actors in the integration of refugees, which through their programs make the reality of refugees more visible to other actors throughout Europe in the hope of encouraging institutions and other organizations to follow their lead in effective and sustainable initiatives.

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“…To overcome acculturative stress and struggles, research reveals that refugee youth in general can benefit from reshaping their identities and engaging in meaningful activities, as well as having social support, positive emotions, and friends [19][20][21][22]. Research specific to African refugee youth in final destination countries found that they manage acculturative stress by a number of strategies including relying on religion [23,24], maintaining a sense of collectivity and communal support, relying on their families, heavy alcohol use, making sense of the challenges, cultural orientation and focusing on positive thoughts [16,[24][25][26][27]. Other African newcomer youth manage acculturation stress by maintaining their heritage such as eating food from their African countries of origin and speaking dialects from their African countries of origin [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

African Refugee Youth’s Experiences of Navigating Different Cultures in Canada: A “Push and Pull” Experience

Woodgate

Busolo

2021

IJERPH

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Refugee youth face challenges in navigating different cultures in destination countries and require better support. However, we know little about the adaptation experiences of African refugee youth in Canada. Accordingly, this paper presents the adaptation experiences of African refugee youth and makes recommendations for ways to support youth. Twenty-eight youth took part in semi-structured interviews. Using a thematic analysis approach, qualitative data revealed four themes of: (1) ‘disruption in the family,’ where youth talked about being separated from their parent(s) and the effect on their adaptation; (2) ‘our cultures are different,’ where youth shared differences between African and mainstream Canadian culture; (3) ‘searching for identity: a cultural struggle,’ where youth narrated their struggles in finding identity; and (4) ‘learning the new culture,’ where youth narrated how they navigate African and Canadian culture. Overall, the youth presented with challenges in adapting to cultures in Canada and highlighted how these struggles were influenced by their migration journey. To promote better settlement and adaptation, youth could benefit from supports and activities that promote cultural awareness with attention to their migration experiences. Service providers could benefit from newcomer-friendly and culturally sensitive training on salient ways of how experiences of multiple cultures affect integration outcomes.

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Coping, resilience and posttraumatic growth among Eritrean female refugees living in Norwegian asylum reception centres: A qualitative study

Abstract: The interviewees' coping was based on the realization of their psychological reactions being normal while doing their utmost to focus on their aims and hopes for the future.

Cited by 53 publications

References 44 publications

The Perceptions of Trauma, Complaints, Somatization, and Coping Strategies among Syrian Refugees in Germany—A Qualitative Study of an At-Risk Population

The Perceptions of Trauma, Complaints, Somatization, and Coping Strategies among Syrian Refugees in Germany—A Qualitative Study of an At-Risk Population

Refugee Students in Spain: The Role of Universities as Sustainable Actors in Institutional Integration

African Refugee Youth’s Experiences of Navigating Different Cultures in Canada: A “Push and Pull” Experience

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