A Phenomenological Study on the Experience of Syrian Asylum‐Seekers and Refugees in the United States

Utržan, Damir S.; Wieling, Elizabeth

doi:10.1111/famp.12408

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…In this paper, we aim to develop a framework for family therapists to address these challenges by focusing on four interrelated dimensions of cultural values, social determinants of health, collective trauma, and family therapists' ethical and moral responsibilities. These are all in line with supporting systems-level changes (Poteat et al, 2020;van Dorn, Cooney, & Sabin, 2020). Further, while we recognize that many of these challenges are global, our analysis focuses on the evidence in the United States.…”

mentioning

confidence: 74%

“…This pandemic challenges individualism and stresses the need for collective actions. Further, our assumption that we all have the same chances to reach our full potentials and enjoy a healthy life (Walsh, 2019) seems obscene when witnessing the higher rates of suffrage from COVID-19 for Black and Latinx communities (Laurencin & McClinton, 2020;van Dorn et al, 2020).…”

Section: Rethinking Rugged Individualism and Self-determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, asylum seekers and refugees in the United States who have been affected by violence and persecution are likely to have interwoven physical and mental health issues. Family therapy practice and research, however, exploring migration experiences rarely approach it from a bioecological framework (Utrzan & Wieling, 2020).…”

Section: Cultural Values and The Healthcare Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID‐19 Interconnectedness: Health Inequity, the Climate Crisis, and Collective Trauma

et al. 2020

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The COVID‐19 pandemic brings to the forefront the complex interconnected dilemmas of globalization, health equity, economic security, environmental justice, and collective trauma, severely impacting the marginalized and people of color in the United States. This lack of access to and the quality of healthcare, affordable housing, and lack of financial resources also continue to have a more significant impact on documented and undocumented immigrants. This paper aims at examining these critical issues and developing a framework for family therapists to address these challenges by focusing on four interrelated dimensions: cultural values, social determinants of health, collective trauma, and the ethical and moral responsibility of family therapists. Given the fact that family therapists may unwittingly function as the best ally of an economic and political system that perpetuates institutionalized racism and class discrimination, we need to utilize a set of principles, values, and practices that are not just palliative or after the fact but bring forth into the psychotherapeutic and policy work a politics of care. Therefore, a strong call to promote and advocate for the broader continuum of health and critical thinking preparing professionals to meet the challenges of health equity, as well as economic and environmental justice, is needed. The issues discussed in this paper are specific to the United States despite their relevance to family therapy as a field. We are mindful not to generalize the United States' reality to the rest of the world, recognizing that issues discussed in this paper could potentially contribute to international discourse.

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mentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Rethinking Rugged Individualism and Self-determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cultural Values and The Healthcare Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID‐19 Interconnectedness: Health Inequity, the Climate Crisis, and Collective Trauma

et al. 2020

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“…Political unrest and civil wars are examples of communal‐ and political‐level fight or flight, seen in the recent Syrian refugee crisis. Many Syrians first attempted to fight state‐sanctioned violence and human rights threats by protesting and seeking a democratic government, with many eventually fleeing due to escalating unrest, resulting in over 5 million refugees and even more internally displaced persons (UNHCR, 2020; Utržan & Wieling, 2018).…”

Section: Dynamic Socioecological Framework Of Traumatic Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expanding the Traumatic Stress Framework to Incorporate a Socioecological Family Systems Perspective

2021

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Over the past few decades, there has been a growing interest among systemic researchers and clinicians to address issues related to psychological traumatic stress. Yet, research in this area has largely focused on intrapersonal and physiological processes in conceptualizing traumatic stress and its various outcomes. Despite the usefulness of intrapersonally focused models of traumatic stress, this approach has its limitations. Emerging evidence indicates that both proximal contexts, such as family, and distal socioecological contexts, such as political and environmental systems, can have a profound effect on traumatic stress risk, presentation, and recovery. In the present article, we review and synthesize emerging research on traumatic stress and integrate findings from intrapersonally and systemically focused models of traumatic stress. We propose and present evidence for what we term the dynamic socioecological framework of traumatic stress, a heuristic framework for conceptualizing the interactions between different forms of traumatic stress. This framework puts forward the dimensions of traumatic stress typology, severity, and timing, underscoring how traumatic stress risk, presentation, and recovery are highly dependent upon the systems in which people are embedded. We conclude with a discussion of the research and clinical implications of this conceptual framework.

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“…Approximately a quarter of this group were minors under the age of 18, the majority of whom arrived in the Netherlands with at least one parent (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers, 2020 ). The lives of these families can be put under considerable pressure as a result of adverse past events in combination with continuous stressors linked to the post‐migration environment, such as insecurities concerning status, family reunification, social isolation, finances, and finding housing (Fazel et al, 2012 ; Utržan & Wieling, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family Empowerment (FAME): A feasibility trial of preventive multifamily groups for asylum seeker families in the Netherlands

Boelen

Zwaanswijk³

et al. 2021

J Marital Family Therapy

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This study evaluated the feasibility of Family Empowerment (FAME), a preventive multifamily program for asylum seeker families in the Netherlands. FAME aims to reinforce the parent–child relationship, family functioning, and social support. We used an uncontrolled pre‐test–post‐test design, embedded in a mixed‐methods approach. FAME was offered to 46 asylum seeker families, mostly originating from Eritrea, Armenia, or Syria. Twenty‐seven parents gave consent to participate in this study. Program integrity and evaluations of participating parents and trainers were assessed. Family functioning and parental symptoms of depression and anxiety were measured pre‐ and post‐FAME. Six participants completed all assessments. Most participants valued gathering with multiple families. Although FAME might coincide with decreases in anxiety and depression, the program had a limited impact on family functioning. Possibly, the aims of FAME did not align with some families’ current needs. Lessons learned and recommendations to further improve interventions for refugee families are discussed.

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A Phenomenological Study on the Experience of Syrian Asylum‐Seekers and Refugees in the United States

Cited by 13 publications

References 69 publications

COVID‐19 Interconnectedness: Health Inequity, the Climate Crisis, and Collective Trauma

COVID‐19 Interconnectedness: Health Inequity, the Climate Crisis, and Collective Trauma

Expanding the Traumatic Stress Framework to Incorporate a Socioecological Family Systems Perspective

Family Empowerment (FAME): A feasibility trial of preventive multifamily groups for asylum seeker families in the Netherlands

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