Syrian Refugee Families with Young Children: An Examination of Strengths and Challenges During Early Resettlement

Abstract

With the arrival of a large number of Syrian families to Canada, educators and other service providers are reflecting on best practices to support the psychosocial adaption of refugees from conflict settings. This article draws on a study that examined the psychosocial adaptation of Syrian refugee families with young children in Western Canada, and uses the RAISED Between Cultures framework to discuss their strengths and identified barriers during early resettlement. Using a community-based participatory research approach and critical incident method, the study involved focus groups and semi-structured interviews with ten Arabic-speaking cultural brokers who were working with Syrian refugee families using holistic supports during early resettlement. Data were analyzed thematically both across and within 10 cases, then examined in light of six factors that contribute to refugee children’s outcomes as identified in the RAISED Between Cultures framework. As key figures in refugee children and families’ adaptation to their host country, educators can draw on these findings to identify families’ and children’s’ strengths and challenges during early resettlement to ensure positive child outcomes.

Factors to Consider in Syrian Refugee Families' Journeys to Social Inclusion: A Literature Review

“…For instance, Homes: A refugee story (al Rabeeah & Yeung, 2018) provides an autobiographical account of one boy's pre-departure and flight experiences. Yohani et al (2019) note that an important pre-arrival factor is trauma. Trauma can be caused by war, violence, separation from loved ones (Hassan et al, 2015), disrupted schooling, food shortages, unemployment, language difficulties, mental health, and overall health concerns.…”

“…Trauma can be caused by war, violence, separation from loved ones (Hassan et al, 2015), disrupted schooling, food shortages, unemployment, language difficulties, mental health, and overall health concerns. Experiences during the pre-arrival stage in the first place of asylum are pivotal for young refugees (Clark, 2017;Yohani et al, 2019); these experiences shape their lives in significant ways.…”

“…Mental health is both a pre-and post-arrival factor for Syrian refugees. Exposure to armed conflict, displacement, separation from loved ones, or threats to personal safety increase the likelihood of developing a mental health condition (Hadfield et al, 2017;Yohani et al, 2019). Refugee children in particular tend to experience high rates of psychological trauma symptoms (Hadfield et al, 2017;Walker & Zuberi, 2020).…”

“…Refugee children are vulnerable to mental health difficulties and tend to experience more sleep disturbance, psychosomatic symptoms, issues with attention, and separation anxiety, and they may demonstrate externalizing behaviours such as aggression (Hadfield et al, 2017;Yohani et al, 2019). Protective factors, however, such as family, peer, and community support, may help to mitigate the impact of pre-arrival trauma on young Syrian refugees (Hadfield, et al, 2017;Yohani et al, 2019).…”

Spoken Word Poetry with Multilingual Youth from Refugee Backgrounds

“…Youth who have entered the country as refugees, particularly those who have had limited or interrupted access to formal schooling prior to their arrival, face intersecting challenges to learning, social adjustment, and academic success. Educators in secondary schools frequently struggle to identify, understand, and meet the language and literacy teaching and learning needs of these youth (Guo et al, 2019; Shapiro et al, 2018; Van Viegen, 2020; Yohani et al, 2019). For these reasons, we viewed the aims of language and literacy teaching as the development and expansion of students’ repertoires of practice, to afford students’ greater participation in and circulation across diverse cultural–linguistic spaces.…”