Experiences of armed conflicts and forced migration among women from countries in the Middle East, Balkans, and Africa: a systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract

Background A significant proportion of the global population is displaced, many being women. Qualitative studies can generate in-depth findings that will contribute to an understanding of their experiences, but there is a need for further synthetization efforts. The aim was to provide a comprehensive perspective about adult women’s experiences of armed conflicts and forced migration, focusing on women in or from countries in the Middle East, Balkans, or Africa. Methods Systematic review of English reports presenting empirical qualitative studies published in scientific journals 1980 or later, utilizing searches performed in September 2021 within three databases combined with manual screening. Of the 3 800 records screened in total, 26 were included. Methodological details and quality were appraised using pre-specified extraction and appraisal tools. The findings within the included reports were analyzed with thematic analysis. Results Most reports utilized interviews, including in total 494 participants, and were appraised as having insignificant methodological limitations. The first theme concerns changed living conditions, involving reduced safety, insufficient access to resources meeting basic needs, forced migration as a last resort, and some positive effects. The second theme concerns the experienced health-related consequences, involving psychological distress, risks during pregnancy and childbirth, exposure to violence and discrimination as a woman, as well as a lack of adequate healthcare services and social support. The third theme concerns the resources and strategies that enhance resilience, involving social support and family life, as well as utilization of internal resources and strategies. Conclusion When experiencing armed conflicts and forced migration, women face significant challenges related to changed living conditions and are exposed to health-related consequences. Consistently, women are targets of severe structural and personal violence, while lacking access to even the most basic healthcare services. Despite facing considerable hardships, these women display extraordinary resilience and endurance by finding strength through social support and internal resources. Synthesized qualitative research illustrates that women value social support, including peer support, which is a promising intervention that needs to be evaluated in future experimental studies.

Diasporean 1 Southern African Perspectives

“…While there is growing literature on gender and migration, there is still a lacuna in the literature about gender and transnational space, highlighting gendered challenges within the transnational space from an intersectionality perspective. Most literature (Jolof, Rocca, Mazaheri, Emegwa & Carlsson 2022;Nhengu 2022;Tan & Kuschminder 2022) highlight those complexities only within the host country and forgetting that their lives are a web of interconnected past and present and that those complexities are not homogeneous, despite those women belonging to one community. Thus, their experiences are multi-stranded, and this aspect cannot be ignored if we are to gain a better understanding of gendered challenges.…”

Gendered Challenges

“…While there is growing literature on gender and migration, there is still a lacuna in the literature about gender and transnational space, highlighting gendered challenges within the transnational space from an intersectionality perspective. Most literature (Jolof, Rocca, Mazaheri, Emegwa & Carlsson 2022;Nhengu 2022;Tan & Kuschminder 2022) highlight those complexities only within the host country and forgetting that their lives are a web of interconnected past and present and that those complexities are not homogeneous, despite those women belonging to one community. Thus, their experiences are multi-stranded, and this aspect cannot be ignored if we are to gain a better understanding of gendered challenges.…”

Women's experiences of trauma-informed care for forced migrants: A qualitative interview study

“…Persons with experience of armed conflicts, torture, and forced migration are at risk of developing severe health-related consequences, including major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder [ 2 , 3 ]. A large proportion of forced migrants are women, who are at risk of being exposed to significant gender-based risks and violence before and during their migration journey [ [4] , [5] , [6] ]. Gender has a significant influence on the exposure to trauma related to armed conflicts and forced migration, as women encounter unique challenges and consequences when being exposed to such conditions [ 5 ].…”

“…A large proportion of forced migrants are women, who are at risk of being exposed to significant gender-based risks and violence before and during their migration journey [ [4] , [5] , [6] ]. Gender has a significant influence on the exposure to trauma related to armed conflicts and forced migration, as women encounter unique challenges and consequences when being exposed to such conditions [ 5 ]. Indeed, there is evidence that these women are at risk of experiencing a range of mental health burdens [ 7 , 8 ] and somatic illnesses [ 8 , 9 ].…”