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Özenç-Ira G, Üzar-Özçetin YS, Çelik S. " What doesn't defeat me makes me stronger" A Qualitative Study drawing on the Perspectives of Syrian Refugee University Students in Turkey. PSYCHOL HEALTH MED 2024; 29:615-630. [PMID: 36775856 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2023.2177782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
Education is one of the most crucial instruments for refugee youth to remove the disadvantages and enhance their social and structural integration into society. However, the unequal education opportunities concerning the barriers avoid the integration of refugee students into society and make them prone to discrimination. This qualitative descriptive design study aimed at describing the experiences of the subjective perspectives of Syrian refugee students about higher education. The participants were final-year undergraduate Syrian refugee students. Data were collected by conducting in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews using a pilot-tested interview guide. The researchers followed a systematic data analysis procedure. The themes were finalized once the researchers had reached a consensus. The responses of the students were subsumed under the following three main themes: (1) Being 'other', (2) Hopes vs Realities, and (3) What doesn't defeat me makes me stronger. The participants reported feeling ignored and worthless due to the biases and assumptions of society, which result in stigma and discrimination. Additionally, refugee students revealed that their peers and even educators may sometimes share the same beliefs. However, the study also underlined the value of resilience in shaping the perspectives, even though they faced many challenging experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gözde Özenç-Ira
- Faculty of Education, Primary Education Department, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Serkan Çelik
- Faculty of Education, Primary Education Department, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
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Giordano F, Lipscomb S, Jefferies P, Kwon KA, Giammarchi M. Resilience processes among Ukrainian youth preparing to build resilience with peers during the Ukraine-Russia war. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1331886. [PMID: 38445056 PMCID: PMC10913279 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1331886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The war in Ukraine significantly impacts the mental health and well-being of its youth. Like other communities affected by war, Ukraine's youth are at risk of developing psychopathological symptoms, and there is a shortage of mental health and psychosocial support services to address this. Resilience-building initiatives present an alternative approach to supporting the well-being of young people by promoting protective processes to enhance the likelihood of positive development in the context of adversity. Emerging research findings suggest that young people themselves can serve as powerful facilitators of such initiatives with one another. Yet, evidence about culturally and contextually relevant protective processes is needed to guide such interventions, especially among young people experiencing the war and working to boost resilience within their communities. In this study, we identified key protective processes Ukrainian youth depend on as they adapt to the conflict while also preparing to implement a resilience-building intervention as a facilitator. Through thematic analysis of transcripts of three training sessions with Ukrainian youth (n = 15, 100% female; aged 18-22), we identified the following themes: positive thinking, sense of control, emotion awareness and regulation, close personal relationships, and community support. Findings also highlighted the cultural and contextual nuance of these protective processes, as well as individual differences in the ways they co-occurred and manifested within each youth. Results have implications for developing tailored yet flexible resilience-building interventions that can be delivered by lay people, including youth with their peers, in Ukraine and other cultures and contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Giordano
- Resilience Research Unit, C.R.I.d.e.e., Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Shannon Lipscomb
- Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Health, Oregon State University—Cascades, Bend, OR, United States
| | - Philip Jefferies
- Resilience Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Kyong-Ah Kwon
- Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Marianna Giammarchi
- Resilience Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
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Lindert J, Samkange-Zeeb F, Jakubauskiene M, Bain PA, Mollica R. Factors Contributing to Resilience Among First Generation Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Systematic Review. Int J Public Health 2023; 68:1606406. [PMID: 38146483 PMCID: PMC10749365 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1606406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: We aimed at 1) collating and evaluating the current evidence on factors contributing to resilience of adult transnational migrants, 2) identifying methodological factors which contribute to the findings, 3) identifying and analyzing promotive and preventive factors contributing to the findings. Methods: A systematic search for relevant studies published until 2021 was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, PTSDPubs, and Web of Science. Both, quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed observational studies reporting on resilience and wellbeing, sense of coherence, or post-traumatic growth outcomes among transnational migrants (aged 18+). Risk of Bias was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program for qualitative studies and the Appraisal Tool for cross-sectional studies. Due to the heterogeneity of studies we did a narrative review. Results: Database search yielded 3,756 unique records, of those n = 80 records, representing n = 76 studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies provided knowledge on resilience for n = 9,845 transnational migrants across 23 countries. All studies except two were cross sectional. N = 45 reported on resilience, n = 4 on Sense of Coherence and n = 15 on Post-Traumatic Growth. The study methods were not related to the findings. Future orientation, hope and religion/spirituality, caring for others and having opportunities were shown to be more pertinent to resilience outcomes than institutional care structures. Conclusion: Our findings highlight that mental health professionals and policymakers should try to support positive perspectives for the future and encourage policies tailored towards giving refugees opportunities to work, learn and care and to help others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutta Lindert
- Department of Health and Social Work, University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer, Emden, Germany
- Women’s Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | | | | | - Paul A. Bain
- Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Bhat N, Gul A. Life in armed conflict: A phenomenological approach to examine the bereavement experiences of parents living in Indian-administered Kashmir. DEATH STUDIES 2023; 48:267-275. [PMID: 37231741 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2023.2217502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Research on the experiences of parents who have lost a child to armed conflict is limited. The current study aimed to explore the bereaved experiences of those parents. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of 15 participants. The analysis resulted in two broad themes followed by subthemes-The theme Traumatic Grief comprised three subthemes: feeling that life is empty; hearing, seeing, and sensing the presence of dead; and unfair to be alive. The theme Meaning making Coping Methods comprised two subthemes: social support as meaning making, and religious coping as meaning making. These findings, based on the phenomenological approach, help to better understand the bereaved experiences of the parents affected by armed conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasrullah Bhat
- Department of Social Work, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Aamir Gul
- Institute of Kashmir Studies, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
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Ayar D, Karasu F. The relationship of fear of happiness levels of Syrian refugees with meaning of life and health perception. Perspect Psychiatr Care 2022; 58:1492-1501. [PMID: 34599523 DOI: 10.1111/ppc.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study was conducted to determine the relationship of fear of happiness levels of Syrian refugees with the meaning of life and health perception. DESIGN AND METHODS This descriptive study was conducted with 310 Syrian refugees. FINDINGS It was found that Syrian refugees' mean scores were 27.59 ± 6.44 in the Fear of Happiness Scale, 17.08 ± 6.93 in Meaning-Life, 19.84 ± 9.26 in Search for Meaning-Life, 46.03 ± 10.18 in Perception of Health Scale. A negative correlation was found between Syrian refugees' fear of happiness levels and meaning in life and health perception. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS As the fear of happiness levels of Syrian refugees decreased, the presence of meaning in life, the search for meaning in life, and health perception levels increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duygu Ayar
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gaziantep Islamic Science and Technology University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Fatma Karasu
- Department of Nursing, Yusuf Şerefoğlu Faculty of Health Sciences, Kilis 7 Aralık University, Kilis, Turkey
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Kelmendi K, Mulaj I, Zymberi M, Kadiri S. Meaning-Making of War Experiences: Stories From Kosova. OMEGA-JOURNAL OF DEATH AND DYING 2020; 86:89-118. [PMID: 32993418 DOI: 10.1177/0030222820962251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The research evidence shows that war had many detrimental effects on the mental health, wellbeing, and social functioning of the people of Kosova, which is similar to the findings in many other postconflict societies. However, there are few studies focusing on the process of meaning-making of war experiences and their impacts on resilience and growth. This phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived war experiences of citizens of Kosova from the perspectives of three generations (grandparents, parents and children) through semistructured interviews, which were conducted with 37 participants. Thematic analysis revealed that the journey of the meaning-making of war experiences in Kosova is rather dynamic and reflects the context in which each generational cohort lived and grew. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the strategies used by each generation for meaning-making and how these strategies contributed to resilience and growth. The implications for mental health counselors, social workers, and policymakers are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaltrina Kelmendi
- Department of Psychology, University of Pristina, "Hasan Prishtina", Pristina, Kosovo
| | - Ilirjana Mulaj
- Department of Psychology, University of Pristina, "Hasan Prishtina", Pristina, Kosovo
| | - Malisa Zymberi
- Department of Psychology, University of Pristina, "Hasan Prishtina", Pristina, Kosovo
| | - Saranda Kadiri
- Department of Psychology, University of Pristina, "Hasan Prishtina", Pristina, Kosovo
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