Experiences of arriving to Sweden as an unaccompanied asylum-seeking minor from Afghanistan: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Abstract

Objective: The number of individuals seeking refuge and safety in European and Western host-societies has increased in recent years and there is no evidence to suggest that this trend will reverse in the foreseeable future. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and youth are particularly vulnerable to risk. The detrimental influence of political conflicts, war and forced migration on asylum-seeking individuals' mental health is well-documented; however, the stressors encountered after arrival to the host-country have been investigated less frequently. This study explored how a group of six male refugees from Afghanistan experienced arriving to the Swedish host-society as unaccompanied minors, and how they perceived the support available to them. Methods: Based on individual semi-structured interviews, an interpretative phenomenological analysis was carried out to explore the perceived risks and protective factors during the first months and years in the host-society. Results: The qualitative findings draw attention to the crucial importance of clarifying the complex asylum-seeking process, the protective influence of social support, the importance of educational guidance, and participant's strong desire to fit in and move forward with their lives. Conclusion: The resulting information can inform the practice of supporting asylum-seeking youths' adaptation in host-societies and in developing assessment measures and interventions for these groups. Specifically, the results indicate the protective role of social support and highlight the potential value of mentoring schemes.

Between power and powerlessness: a meta-ethnography of sources of resilience in young refugees

“…In order to be up to date, we refreshed our search in all databases to include studies between June 2013 and February 2015. We found four new articles (Betancourt et al 2015;Ndedngeyingoma, De Montigny, and Miron 2013;Thommesssen, Corcoran, and Todd 2015;Weine et al 2014). The results of these studies were in line with our results: The importance of the ecological model and the facilitating influences of school, social support, and acculturation strategies were strengthened after reviewing these publications.…”

“…The results of these studies were in line with our results: The importance of the ecological model and the facilitating influences of school, social support, and acculturation strategies were strengthened after reviewing these publications. Besides, the themes of discrimination, the constraining component of family dynamics (Betancourt et al 2015;Ndedngeyingoma, De Montigny, and Miron 2013) and responsibility (Ndedngeyingoma, De Montigny, and Miron 2013;Thommesssen, Corcoran, and Todd 2015) were discussed in some of these studies as well. Regarding religion, Betancourt et al (2015) and Weine et al (2014) described religion as protective resource that can promote young refugees' psychosocial well-being.…”

How do refugee children experience their new situation in England and Denmark? Implications for educational policy and practice

“…A common theme that was found across the two contexts was the emphasis on social and educational support, encouragement and guidance from teachers and mentors, as well as more general support provided by friends, peers and family members. Offering refugee children, youth and adults the opportunity to create meaningful and close social relationships seems to be of central importance for positive integration and well-being (e.g Berthold, 2000;Goodman, 2004;Hodes et al, 2008;Thommessen, Corcoran & Todd, 2015;Thommessen, Corcoran & Todd, 2017). Previous research suggests that peer groups and social support provided by friends may be a protective factor (Betancourt & Khan, 2008;Masten & Narayan, 2012).…”

Voices rarely heard: Personal construct assessments of Sub-Saharan unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee youth in England

“…Young asylum-seeking and refugee individuals are likely to benefit from care and support programmes that focus on providing opportunities for social relationships to develop as soon after their arrival to the asylum-country as possible. For example, mentors or contact persons can provide vital support and guidance in terms of legal, educational or general assistance (UNHCR, 1997), a topic which has been explored in unaccompanied youth in Sweden (Thommessen, Corcoran & Todd, 2015).…”