How do people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom conceptualize and cope with the asylum journey?

Abstract

People seeking asylum experience traumatic events and psychological difficulties in country-of-origin, in 'flight', and during re-settlement. Research with this population has focussed on using quantitative methods to examine psychopathology from exposure to traumatic events, and there is a paucity of qualitative research exploring subjective experiences of this population throughout their asylum journey. Few studies have examined ways asylum seekers might cope with such events. This study aimed to address this gap by employing Constructivist Grounded Theory to understand the ways people seeking asylum conceptualise and cope with their experiences across the asylum process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven people seeking asylum accessing a third sector mental health project and / or primary-care health service. Four main themes emerged from the data: 'Before Asylum', 'Displacement', 'Identity in the UK' and 'Reflections on the Future'. The stress of the asylum system and adaptation to new environments are core aspects of the theory, along with an exploration of how people cope with these circumstances, via internal psychological strategies and external support sources. Prior experiences (including the development of 'inner strength') impacted upon how participants conceptualised their everyday experiences, and this shaped their considerations for the future. Service implications are discussed.

The impact of the asylum determination process on mental health in the UK and EU+: A systematic review and thematic synthesis

“…All the time, all the tortures, prisons, hanging, tying on the bed, lashings on the foot, that all comes back. (48) Subtheme 3.3 Impact on identity. In 19 studies, participants spoke of the impact of processes on their identity, which was characterized by a reduction in self-confidence, self-esteem and negative self-image.…”

“…If you get a negative[asylum] result, what will happen? This makes you worry… you feel unsafe (48). in the morning, drink coffee, and then you wait for a whole day, and then you go to bed...[...] And the uncertainty... […] I get tired of not knowing […] I am afraid they will not approve my application.…”