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Chapter 3 - Pre- and Post-migration Trauma and Adversity

Sources of Resilience and Family Coping among West African Refugee Families

from Part I - Refugee Family Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2020

Lucia De Haene
Affiliation:
University of Leuven, Belgium
Cécile Rousseau
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
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Summary

The negative impact of pre- and post-migration adversity on mental health among refugee populations has been well documented, but a growing body of research indicates refugees’ resilience and family coping. Investigating resilience and coping among refugee families entails a close analysis of individual- and family-level protective factors, spousal dynamics, parenting styles, ethnocultural identification, and meaning-makings of pre- and post-migration experiences. The aim of the study reported in this chapter is to examine the migration narratives of eight West African refugee families (n = 16) in order to identify patterns of sociocultural and familial sources of resilience. Twenty-four qualitative interviews were analyzed. Findings indicate the role of cultural continuity, collectivism, religiosity, adaptive flexibility, and downward comparison as sociocultural protective factors and sources of resilience. Clinicians working with non-Western refugee populations should assess for sociocultural modes of coping and incorporate them into clinical and other psychosocial treatments and interventions.

Type
Chapter
Information
Working with Refugee Families
Trauma and Exile in Family Relationships
, pp. 50 - 68
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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