Bouncing forward of young refugees: a perspective on resilience research directions

Abstract

While studies on the consequences of trauma and forced migration on young refugees have focused mainly on their pathology, a focus on resilience in young refugees is needed to adequately represent their response to adversity and to help understand their needs. The aim of this article is to present a proposed study of resilience in young refugees which has been informed by an overview of achievements and challenges in the field of resilience.In order to advance the field of resilience, several topics need clarification: definition and assessment of resilience, the relation of resilience to other constructs and the underlying biological and external factors influencing resilience. With respect to young refugees, the cross-cultural applicability of resilience has to be examined. Qualitative research, mixed method designs, comparative studies, and longitudinal studies seem especially promising in furthering this goal.The proposed study compares refugee adolescents with Dutch adolescents. Data from qualitative evidence synthesis, interviews, questionnaires, experiments, and DNA analysis will be combined to provide a multifaceted picture of factors contributing to resilience, resulting in a better understanding and efficient use of “resilience” to meet the needs of traumatised youth.

Exploring resilience models in a sample of combat-exposed military service members and veterans: a comparison and commentary

“…It may also be a nature of the sample selection itself, which was highly trauma exposed, and approximately half of the sample had sought mental health treatment in the past. This finding is, however,consistent with one perspective of resilience that encompasses the possibility that individuals can be resilient and yet still be suffering from negative outcomes of the trauma (Sleijpen et al, 2013; Southwick et al, 2014). These findings also align well with the systems perspective that would expect variability in resilient responses, as a function of outcome of interest, context, and impact of other systems (e.g.…”

“…These conflicting findings may be consistent with another line of research suggesting that resilience is not necessarily the most common outcome, particularly following certain stressors (e.g. severe interpersonal traumas; Steenkamp, Dickstein, Salters-Pedneault, Hofmann, & Litz, 2012) or in certain populations, such as refugees (Sleijpen et al, 2013). Here, it has been suggested that it may be inappropriate to consider mental health problems as evidence of lack of resilience, with the presence of some psychological symptoms considered to be a normative reaction to extreme experiences or circumstances (Papadopoulos, 1999; Sleijpen et al, 2013; Southwick, Bonanno, Masten, Panter-Brick, & Yehuda, 2014).…”

“…the straw that breaks the camel’s back effect). It is also worth clarifying that resilience in some domains does not imply positive adaptation across all functional domains and outcomes (Luthar et al, 2000; Sleijpen et al, 2013). Capturing these different definitions of resilience, although complicated, will ultimately result in a much richer understanding of the wide variation in responding following trauma and stressful life events.…”

“…Resilience is also examined as a process, stemming from a systems-oriented perspective which views resilience as dynamic and flexible and expected to vary based on outcome of interest, over time, and across different contexts (Walsh, 2016a). This work often examines the development of resilience from a family systems (Walsh, 2016a, 2016b) and developmental (Masten, 2014; Sleijpen, June Ter Heide, Mooren, Boeije, & Kleber, 2013) perspective. Thus, it is critical to consider the ways in which various definitions of resilience shape the understanding of, and purported prevalence rates of, this construct.…”

“…severe interpersonal traumas; Steenkamp, Dickstein, Salters-Pedneault, Hofmann, & Litz, 2012) or in certain populations, such as refugees (Sleijpen et al, 2013). Here, it has been suggested that it may be inappropriate to consider mental health problems as evidence of lack of resilience, with the presence of some psychological symptoms considered to be a normative reaction to extreme experiences or circumstances (Papadopoulos, 1999; Sleijpen et al, 2013; Southwick, Bonanno, Masten, Panter-Brick, & Yehuda, 2014). Varying definitions of resilience thus reflect different patterns of adaptive functioning, by different criteria.…”