title: We left one war and came to another: resource loss, acculturative stress, and caregiver-child relationships in Somali refugee families.
abstract: Refugee families often encounter a number of acculturative and resettlement stressors as they make lives for themselves in host countries. These difficulties may be compounded by past trauma and violence exposure, posing increased risk for mental health problems. Greater knowledge is needed about protective processes contributing to positive development and adjustment in refugee families despite risk (e.g., resilience). The aims of this research were to identify and examine strengths and resources utilized by Somali refugee children and families in the Boston area to overcome resettlement and acculturative stressors. We used maximum variation sampling to conduct a total of 9 focus groups: 5 focus groups (total participants N = 30) among Somali refugee adolescents and youth, capturing gender and a range of ages (15 to 25 years), as well as 4 focus groups of Somali refugee mothers and fathers in groups (total participants N = 32) stratified by gender. Drawing from conservation of resources theory (COR), we identified 5 forms of resources comprising individual, family, and collective/community strengths: religious faith, healthy family communication, support networks, and peer support. "Community talk" was identified as a community dynamic having both negative and positive implications for family functioning. Protective resources among Somali refugee children and families can help to offset acculturative and resettlement stressors. Many of these locally occurring protective resources have the potential to be leveraged by family and community-based interventions. These findings are being used to design preventative interventions that build on local strengths among Somali refugees in the Boston area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health.
authors.forename: Theresa S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Betancourt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Boston.
authors.forename: Saida
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdi
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health.
authors.forename: Brandon S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health.
authors.forename: Grace M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lilienthal
authors.affiliation: Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center (RIAC).
authors.forename: Naima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Agalab
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001900:Boston; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D014857:Warfare; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2001 Nov;53(10):1321-34
references.pmid: 11676403
references.citation: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996 Aug;150(8):822-8
references.pmid: 8704888
references.citation: Anxiety Stress Coping. 2009 Jul;22(4):433-48
references.pmid: 19296263
references.citation: J Trauma Stress. 2006 Dec;19(6):879-93
references.pmid: 17195987
references.citation: Int Rev Psychiatry. 2008 Jun;20(3):317-28
references.pmid: 18569183
references.citation: Clin Psychol Rev. 2004 May;24(2):193-213
references.pmid: 15081516
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2006 Jul;63(1):137-50
references.pmid: 16436309
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2012 Apr;50(4):414-7
references.pmid: 22443848
references.citation: JAMA. 2005 Aug 3;294(5):602-12
references.pmid: 16077055
references.citation: Fam Process. 1988 Mar;27(1):105-13
references.pmid: 3360096
references.citation: Aggress Behav. 2010 Mar-Apr;36(2):95-116
references.pmid: 19998393
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 2008 Apr;76(2):184-93
references.pmid: 18377116
references.citation: Lancet. 2012 Jan 21;379(9812):250-65
references.pmid: 21835460
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997 Aug;36(8):1098-106
references.pmid: 9256589
references.citation: J Trauma Stress. 2002 Oct;15(5):339-50
references.pmid: 12392221
references.citation: Am Psychol. 1989 Mar;44(3):513-24
references.pmid: 2648906
references.citation: Biol Psychiatry. 1999 Dec 1;46(11):1542-54
references.pmid: 10599482
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004 Jan;43(1):24-36
references.pmid: 14691358
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2010 Oct;45(10):1011-21
references.pmid: 19768355
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1989 Jul;28(4):501-4
references.pmid: 2768143
references.citation: J Trauma Stress. 2012 Dec;25(6):682-90
references.pmid: 23225034
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2006 Jan;41(1):18-26
references.pmid: 16341619
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2009 Mar;44(3):291-7
references.pmid: 19237116
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000 Mar;39(3):368-77
references.pmid: 10714058
references.citation: Am Psychol. 1991 Jun;46(6):632-41
references.pmid: 1952422