Description
Armed conflicts, natural disasters, poverty, and the pandemic have forced over 117 million people to abandon their homes and heritage. Surging pushbacks, protection gaps, and deportations precipitate refugees' exclusion from equitable economic, social, cultural, political, and reproductive rights, amplifying suffering. As such, displaced communities will shoulder a silent epidemic of posttraumatic stress as well as other debilitating ailments, which are often passed down to future generations. Host nations to which refugees flee do not always associate their psychological well-being with future self-sufficiency and potential for contributions to society, and humanitarian organizations seldom prioritize improved mental health outcomes for refugees. The toll of failing to elevate the importance of refugee mental health is immense, at both individual and societal scales. Drawing on firsthand accounts and empirical research, as well as interviews with government officials, agency directors, and refugee camp managers, Displaced explores the psychological trauma of refugees, the complex interplay between trauma and integration into host nations, and the consequences of failing to attend to refugee mental health as part of comprehensive resettlement initiatives worldwide. Displaced utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate various aspects of refugee trauma, including gender-specific experiences of war; trauma transmission within conflict-affected families; the mental health ramifications of human cruelty such as political torture; local expressions of refugee resilience and illness in their countries of origin; and the role of stereotypes, social categories, and transatlantic networks in shaping refugee identity and resilience.Identifying key themes and resettlement processes of asylum frameworks in Germany, the US, the UK, and elsewhere, the book demonstrates how national policies can affect refugees' self-sufficiency and well-being in host societies, and the essential role of receiving nations in designing better opportunities for their access across vocational, educational, and social domains. Utilizing a systems-informed, evidence-based, and human-rights-oriented approach, Displaced also discusses trauma-informed treatments that may help improve refugee mental health outcomes and enhance inclusivity, along with prosperity for refugees and host nations alike.
Table of Contents
1. Our Refugee Crisis: Trauma, Integration and Resettlement2. Trauma Beyond Borders: At Sea in the World3. A White Coat or a White Heart?: The Methodology4. Queen of Proofs and Kings of Torment: Psychological Sequelae of Torture 5. Enrique Iglesias Goes German: Identity Politics or Identity Repair?6. Culture and Globalization in Post-Conflict Trauma Care 7. What's the Trouble with Mrs. Khaled?: Gender and Sexual Violence8. Family Trauma: The Psychological Legacy of War9. Mental Health and Integration: Structuring Refuge for Resettled Refugees10. Best Practices in Traumatized Refugee Care: Ecology of Trauma-Informed and Cultural Health Interventions Appendix: Quantitative Data on Anxiety and Depression Subscales
