The hopes of West African refugees during resettlement in northern Sweden: A 6-year prospective qualitative study of pathways and agency thoughts

被引：7

作者：

Tanvir M Anjum

Cecilia Nordqvist

Toomas Timpka

机构：

[1] Centre for Refugee Medicine, Stergötland County Council, Norrköping

[2] Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping

来源：

Conflict and Health | / 6卷 / 1期

关键词：

Psychology of hope; Qualitative methods; Refugee mental health; West African refugees;

D O I：

10.1186/1752-1505-6-1

中图分类号：

学科分类号：

摘要：

Background: Little is known about how positive phenomena can support resettlement of refugees in a new country. The aim of this study was to examine the hopeful thinking in a group of West African quota refugees at arrival and after 6 years in Sweden and compare these thoughts to the views of resettlement support professionals. Method. The primary study population comprised 56 adult refugees and 13 resettlement professionals. Qualitative data were collected from the refugees by questionnaires on arrival and 6 years later. Data were collected from the resettlement professionals by interview about 3 years after arrival of the refugees. Snyder's cognitive model of hope was used to inform the comparative data analyses. Results: Hopes regarding education were in focus for the refugees shortly after arrival, but thoughts on family reunion were central later in the resettlement process. During the later stages of the resettlement process, the unresponsiveness of the support organization to the family reunion problem became as issue for the refugees. The professionals reported a complex mix of silent agency thoughts" underlying the local resettlement process as a contributing reason for this unresponsiveness. Conclusion: Hopes regarding education and family reunion were central in the resettlement of West African refugees in Sweden. These thoughts were not systematically followed up by the support organization; possibly the resources for refugees were not fully released. More studies are needed to further investigate the motivational factors underpinning host community support of refugees' hopes and plans. © 2012 Anjum et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd."

引用

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