An investigation into refuge trauma experiences in an ethnic Somali community in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The study aimed to explore and describe the forced migration experiences of Somali refugees living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and the impact of refugee-specific trauma on this population. A mixed method triangulation research design with a quantitative weighting was employed and purposive snowball, non-probability sampling was used to construct a sample of 30 adult Somali refugees from Port Elizabeth’s Korsten community. Participants were included in the study if they fulfilled the pre-defined inclusion criteria of having successfully applied for refugee status, having resided in South Africa for at least six months and being 18 years or older. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was developed by the researcher to operationalise the constructs being measured. The questionnaire comprised a biographical and antecedent event(s) questionnaires as well as sections of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire Revised Version. Data was then analysed via exploratory descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients. The research found that the majority of Somali refugees cited conflict, insecurity and instability as the mainn reasons for leaving their country of origin, suggesting the basic need for safety and security was unmet. One third of the sample reported that the main reason for leaving was the same as their most traumatic life event. The average participant had experienced 16 traumatic events and experienced 23 trauma symptoms on average, demonstrating high levels of trauma among the study population. The study recommends that the link between the main reason for forced migration and refugee trauma be explored