Tragic and Heroic Moments in the Lives of Forced Migrants: Memories of Political Asylum-Seekers in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Pineteh, Ernest A.; Mulu, Thecla N.

doi:10.25071/1920-7336.40285

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Albeit having multiple adverse life experiences, many refugee participants keep hope for change in their lives. This was observed in the narratives produced by participants in five studies (59,64,73,76,85). However, the tendency to be courageous and resilient was more visible in children and young adults than in elderly refugees (85).…”

Section: Optimismmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…We found that different methods were used in the selected studies. Narrative interviews were the most frequently used method; twelve out of 22 studies utilizing this method (58,59,62,63,65,72,73,75,76,79,80,85). In these studies, participants were asked to recall the days before migration, and describe the genocide or conflict they witnessed during their migration journey and/or after resettling in the host country.…”

Section: Memory Activation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In six studies (64,72,73,76,79,85), both adolescent and adult refugee participants mentioned an alteration of past identities and accountabilities. They perceived their refugee status as worthless compared to their pre-migration life (85).…”

Section: Changing Status and Identity Confusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even refugee children felt inferior to their non-refugee peers (76). Pineteh and Mulu (73) reported that many refugee people felt humiliated and neglected while trying to find a job, sometimes hiding their refugee identity and avoiding their community. This trend was more common among children than adult participants (76).…”

Section: Changing Status and Identity Confusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seven studies revealed that participants from refugee communities were more likely to talk about adverse life events they experienced during pre-migration violence, wartime conflict, and their migration journeys (57,59,62,63,68,73,75). Younger refugee participants were prone to recall violent events occurring at home or school (75).…”

Section: Trauma Memoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review of Autobiographical Memory and Mental Health Research on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

2021

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Research examining trauma, memory, and mental health among refugee and asylum-seeking people has increased in recent years. We systematically reviewed empirical work focusing on the link between autobiographical memory and mental health among these populations. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018095888). Six major databases were searched in August-2020 with no time limit for publication. Following PRISMA Statement guidelines, 22 articles reporting ten quantitative, nine qualitative, and three mixed-method studies were selected from 254 articles identified in the initial search. A basic convergent and qualitative meta-integration technique was employed for data extraction. Four recurrent themes were extracted: (1) memory activation method, (2) memory features, (3) memory content, and (4) refugee mental health. Theme 1 illustrates that narrative interviews, important event recall, and cue word methods were used in most studies. Theme 2 highlights that memories of refugee people were often less specific, inconsistent, and negative-focused. Retrieval failure was also common among these people. Theme 3 reveals that refugee and asylum-seeking people frequently discussed their abandoned identities, lost resources, injustices, ongoing sufferings, and pointless futures. Finally, theme 4 identifies the prevalence of various mental health conditions like Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, helplessness, and anger among these people. The results are discussed in the context of the current autobiographical memory and mental health theories, considering refugee-specific experiences in the asylum process and refugee status.

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Section: Optimismmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Memory Activation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Changing Status and Identity Confusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Changing Status and Identity Confusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Trauma Memoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review of Autobiographical Memory and Mental Health Research on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

2021

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Autobiographical memory and future episodic thinking among trauma‐exposed Rohingya refugee people

Khan

Haque

2022

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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Past research has shown that trauma‐exposed refugee people frequently report less specific autobiographical memories, but the characteristics of their future episodic thinking remain largely unexplored. This study investigated the specificity and emotional valence of autobiographical memory and future episodic thinking produced by 120 Rohingya refugee people resettled in Malaysia. The participants retrieved three autobiographical memories and produced three future episodes to three cue words. The Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder‐8 Scale, Patients Health Questionnaire‐9, and Trauma Questionnaires assessed participants' PTSD, depression, and trauma exposures. Results revealed that nearly two‐thirds of the memories (64%) were overgeneral, and almost an equal number contained traumatic elements (63%). However, most future episodes were overgeneral (91%), and two‐thirds showed positivity bias (62.5%). The participants who retrieved more autobiographical memories with enhanced specificity also reported more future episodes with enhanced specificity. The higher PTSD and depression significantly predicted the reporting of overgeneral future episodes. Participants with a lower level of depression were more likely to report future episodes with enhanced positivity. The results indicate that therapeutic interventions targeting improving memory specificity and the positivity of future episodes could eventually improve refugee people's mental health.

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Autobiographical memory impairment among Rohingya refugee people: roles of direct and indirect trauma exposures and PTSD symptom severity

Khan

Haque

2021

Cognition and Emotion

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Tragic and Heroic Moments in the Lives of Forced Migrants: Memories of Political Asylum-Seekers in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Cited by 7 publications

References 9 publications

A Systematic Review of Autobiographical Memory and Mental Health Research on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

A Systematic Review of Autobiographical Memory and Mental Health Research on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Autobiographical memory and future episodic thinking among trauma‐exposed Rohingya refugee people

Autobiographical memory impairment among Rohingya refugee people: roles of direct and indirect trauma exposures and PTSD symptom severity

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