Refugees and well-being: a qualitative study in Spain

Subjective well-being of refugees is usually affected both by the reasons that forced migration and by their personal situation in the host country - specially in respect of the uncertainty about their legal status, the low purchasing power, the social insulation, the cultural integration issues, among others. On the basis of a qualitative study, the aim of this research is to analyze the level of well-being of refugees in Spanish. To do this, first, the situation of refugees worldwide and in Spain will be exposed, providing both conceptual definitions as well as some statistics to a better understanding of the phenomenon. I addition, the concept of subjective wellbeing will be explained to finally present the refugees' perception about their own well-being on a sample of 5 interviews and a focus group. Results suggest more positive than negative feelings, and also a positive balance on their well-being.