We left one war and came to another: Resource loss, acculturative stress, and caregiver–child relationships in Somali refugee families.

TLDR

Refugee families face acculturative and resettlement stressors, often intensified by past trauma, heightening mental‑health risks and underscoring the need to understand protective processes such as resilience. The study aimed to identify and examine the strengths and resources Somali refugee children and families in Boston use to overcome resettlement and acculturative stressors. Using maximum‑variation sampling, nine focus groups (30 adolescents 15‑25 and 32 parents) were conducted, and conservation‑of‑resources theory guided identification of five resource types—religious faith, healthy family communication, support networks, and peer support. Community talk emerged as a dynamic with both positive and negative effects on family functioning, and the identified protective resources can offset stressors and inform preventive interventions that build on local strengths.

Abstract

Refugee families often encounter a number of acculturative and resettlement stressors as they make lives for themselves in host countries. These difficulties may be compounded by past trauma and violence exposure, posing increased risk for mental health problems. Greater knowledge is needed about protective processes contributing to positive development and adjustment in refugee families despite risk (e.g., resilience). The aims of this research were to identify and examine strengths and resources utilized by Somali refugee children and families in the Boston area to overcome resettlement and acculturative stressors. We used maximum variation sampling to conduct a total of 9 focus groups: 5 focus groups (total participants N = 30) among Somali refugee adolescents and youth, capturing gender and a range of ages (15 to 25 years), as well as 4 focus groups of Somali refugee mothers and fathers in groups (total participants N = 32) stratified by gender. Drawing from conservation of resources theory (COR), we identified 5 forms of resources comprising individual, family, and collective/community strengths: religious faith, healthy family communication, support networks, and peer support. "Community talk" was identified as a community dynamic having both negative and positive implications for family functioning. Protective resources among Somali refugee children and families can help to offset acculturative and resettlement stressors. Many of these locally occurring protective resources have the potential to be leveraged by family and community-based interventions. These findings are being used to design preventative interventions that build on local strengths among Somali refugees in the Boston area.