Using a qualitative approach, this study sought to identify the factors that influence the psychological well-being or frustration of refugees to Uganda (mainly from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC], Rwanda and other nearby countries) and Ugandan nationals (as host community). Data were collected through nine focus group discussions with 54 participants. The interview guide asked questions about issues that frustrated or encouraged their psychological well-being and the ways they would describe their current psychological well-being. After conducting thematic analysis, 10 themes emerged that contribute to refugee and host community psychological well-being or frustration: food availability, family separation and death, good security in the refugee camp, provision of health services, access to free education, the role of mental health and psychosocial support, unfavourable farmland, availability of employment and income-generating activities, collaboration and peer support, and delayed resettlement within or outside Uganda. Based on participant responses, several recommendations emerge to guide community-based psychological interventions, which may increase the psychological well-being of refugees and host community members. Conclusions show the negative and positive factors that contribute to the psychological well-being or frustration of both refugees and Ugandans.
Using an exploratory mixed‐methods approach, we examined thoughts concerning refugees reported by participants from a non‐Western country, Uganda, and the United Kingdom (total N = 113). We explored whether, due to various sociocultural, political and geographic differences, critical features of refugee migration (e.g., migration forcedness and migration‐related perils) would be viewed differently by Ugandan and UK participants. An inductive qualitative content analysis of responses in an online survey yielded 11 categories with 40 subcategories revealing several similarities between Ugandan and UK participants. For instance, similar proportions of participants from both countries acknowledged refugees' suffering before their migration and the forced nature of refugees' migration. However, we also found that more British than Ugandan participants referred to perils refugees suffer during their journeys, possibly resulting from differences in refugees' migration routes (e.g., crossing other countries, travelling by dilapidated boats, migration duration). Furthermore, Ugandan but not British participants took pride in international praise their country received for its forthcoming treatment of refugees. There were no differences regarding the extent to which Ugandan and British individuals exhibited prejudice towards refugees or experienced threats from refugees. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings for refugee integration.
There is limited psychological literature about refugees in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a qualitative study approach, this study sought to answer the question “What factors influence the psychological well-being/frustration of refugees, and Ugandan nationals/host community?” Data was collected through 9 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with N = 54 participants (5 FGDs refugees and 4 FGDs Ugandans), with 6 participants in each FGD. They included males and females with Adults, youth, and school-going adolescents. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. The FGDs, frequently reported on what contributed to their psychological well-being/frustration. These included food availability, family separations and death, good security in the refugee camp, provision of health services, access to free education, the role of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), unfavorable farmland, availability of employment and income-generating activities, collaboration and peer support and delayed resettlement within or outside Uganda. Recommendations are made to provide community-based psychological interventions to increase self-reliance and reduce dependence on the few highly skilled MHPSS providers, setting up more youth collaboration activities to strengthen peaceful co-existence among refugees themselves and also between refugees and host community, designing and implementing sensitization programs regarding resettlement to overcome the aspect of over expectations and anxieties due to delay or failure in successful resettlement. This study contributes to the literature on refugees’ specific current concerns as well as those of the host community., which may require specific interventions to refugees’/nationals’ challenges.
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