Understanding refugee experiences : mental health and acculturation

This thesis is composed of three chapters. Chapter One is a thematic meta-synthesis of fourteen research studies, exploring the mental health experiences of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs). Three themes emerged: A State of Flux, Impact of Trauma and Integration. URMs experienced threat and trauma-based mental health experiences, as they fled, journeyed to safety and integrated into host countries. These impacted their mind, body and identity, which they managed through avoidance or connection. Recommendations are made for psychosocial support and flexibility when considering URM needs and for services to implement a holistic, culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed approach. Chapter Two is an empirical qualitative study exploring the psychosocial experiences of acculturation in six Syrian refugees. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of interviews elicited three superordinate and seven subordinate themes: Living with Loss; Loss of Home and Family, Loss of Role and Identity; Experiencing a New Life; Rebirth and Restarting Life in the UK, How Previous Trauma Exists in their New Life, Embracing New Freedoms; The Dissonance of Integration: Belonging and Not Belonging; Experiencing Racism and Islamophobia as a Barrier to Integration, Integration through Nurture, Support and Connection. Refugees grieved multiple losses which influenced integration. The UK offered a new start, but refugees could not escape past traumas and cultural dissonances. Refugees managed feelings of belonging as they endured hostility and experienced nurture. Recommendations include using cultural sensitivity and trust to understand refugees, recognising their qualifications, providing assistance to reunite their families and for the host society to hold more responsibility for their integration. Chapter Three is a reflective paper encompassing the role of the researcher’s identity in relation to undertaking research with Syrian refugees. This highlighted how the research resonated with the author, the challenges managing identities, especially conducting research parallel to working clinically with refugees and finally how one’s personal identity benefitted the process