The Long-Term Impact of Political Activism on Mental Wellbeing in the Context of Adult Immigrants Who Experienced Childhood Political Trauma

Abstract

There is limited literature on the long-term impact of political activism on mental wellbeing in the context of childhood political trauma and subsequent forced migration. Such information is important for developing mental health services suitable to this population. This qualitative study contributes to this gap by exploring the experience of an understudied population: adult Jewish Argentinian immigrants to Israel, who as children experienced the military dictatorship in Argentina (1976Argentina ( -1983. Thematic textual analysis of narrative interviews revealed that in the case of participants who escaped with their parents as political exiles to Israel, political activism during childhood and adulthood can be both a risk and protective factor and affect a range of positive and negative long-term mental health outcomes including resilience and symptoms that appear as Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

A latent profile analysis of U.S. undocumented college students’ advocacy communication strategies and its relationship with health

“…Positive health outcomes might emerge because advocacy communication strategies function as a buffer between the stigma experienced by marginalized members and various health indicators. Thus, engagement in advocacy communication strategies moderates the relationship between stigma and health among marginalized members; this is supported by prior qualitative research (Gal & Hanley, 2019).…”

“…Although there is extant research that suggests a positive link between advocacy communication and health, other studies suggest a negative relationship between advocacy and mental health. For example, Gal and Hanley's (2019) study with Jewish Argentinian immigrants who live in Israel and lived through a dictatorship, revealed that advocacy communication was linked to hypervigilance and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 10 Similarly, Vaccaro and Mena (2011) found that their queer activists of color participants in the U.S. experienced burnout, fatigue, and some experienced suicidal ideation due to their engagement in activism.…”

“…Furthermore, our study's findings expand prior research on the relationship between advocacy communication and health. Prior research on advocacy communication and its relationship with health is mixed; some research suggests such engagement is associated with positive health outcomes, whereas others suggest negative (e.g., Gal & Hanley, 2019;Ramirez-Valles et al, 2005;Velez & Moradi, 2016). One possible explanation for these mixed findings is that prior research focused on a narrow definition of advocacy communication that assessed too few strategies or focused on some strategies over others.…”

Factors Contributing to Resilience Among First Generation Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Systematic Review

“…The study sample sizes ranged from n = 4 to n = 55. The following methods were applied in the studies: focus groups discussions [ 34 , 37 , 50 , 55 , 96 , 124 ], individual interviews [ 40 , 43 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 57 , 58 , 62 , 68 , 73 , 76 – 78 , 81 , 83 – 85 , 88 , 94 , 96 , 104 , 109 , 116 , 118 , 125 ], participatory research [ 56 , 87 ], and photovoice [ 42 ]. Additionally, some studies used ethnographic methods [ 42 , 71 ], or direct observations [ 71 , 77 , 81 , 84 , 98 ].…”