Im Hyojin, George Nicole, Swan Laura E T
Ph.D., MA, MSW, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
MSW, Doctoral Student, School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Glob Public Health. 2022 Dec;17(12):3426-3439. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2022.2106378. Epub 2022 Aug 3.
Urban refugees often face tremendous adversities during displacement that exacerbate mental health and psychosocial outcomes. Given the lack of research on how extended displacement affects mental health in urban refugee youth, this study examines the differential effects of country of birth on trauma exposure and psychosocial factors that influence mental health experiences among Somali refugee youth in urban Kenya (n = 303). Findings reveals that childhood trauma and impeded social functioning predicted mental health outcomes. Being born in Kenya was a significant predictor of poor mental health despite there being no significant difference in trauma exposures and psychosocial factors between Somali-born and Kenya-born youth. This difference can be attributed to prolonged displacement, disrupted development of cultural identity, and discrimination experienced in the host country. Given the widely devastating effects of childhood trauma and community violence, mental health interventions need to be two-prolonged: addressing and preventing intergenerational trauma sequelae through family-based interventions; and community-level programs and advocacy for safety and protection for the displaced. Our findings also emphasize that future interventions for urban refugee communities should be inclusive to all community members, considering shared vulnerability to community violence as well as intergenerational transmission of traumas through childhood adversities and lacking support.
城市难民在流离失所期间常常面临巨大的困境，这加剧了他们的心理健康问题和心理社会后果。鉴于缺乏关于长期流离失所如何影响城市难民青年心理健康的研究，本研究调查了出生国对创伤暴露以及影响肯尼亚城市地区索马里难民青年（n = 303）心理健康体验的心理社会因素的不同影响。研究结果显示，童年创伤和社会功能受阻预示着心理健康状况。尽管出生在索马里和出生在肯尼亚的青年在创伤暴露和心理社会因素方面没有显著差异，但出生在肯尼亚是心理健康不佳的一个重要预测因素。这种差异可归因于长期流离失所、文化身份发展的中断以及在东道国遭受的歧视。鉴于童年创伤和社区暴力具有广泛的破坏性影响，心理健康干预需要延长：通过基于家庭的干预措施来解决和预防代际创伤后遗症；以及开展社区层面的项目，并倡导为流离失所者提供安全和保护。我们的研究结果还强调，未来针对城市难民社区的干预措施应该对所有社区成员具有包容性，要考虑到对社区暴力的共同脆弱性以及通过童年逆境和缺乏支持导致的创伤代际传播。
