Background Involuntary family separation due to forced migration is a particular form of suffering to which contemporary methods of psychosocial support seem scarce. It has been shown to cause mental and physical impairments that are often misdiagnosed for pathologies. Migrants who endure such trauma may have prolonged feelings of ambivalence for resettling and impaired conditions for integration. Aim Based on such research and reports, this study attempts to find appropriate measures of inter-personal psychosocial support that may improve resilience and wellbeing to live under such conditions. While building upon Social Work ethics, it targets both professional and non-professional providers of psychosocial support. Methodology Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with informants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, and Syria. All had resettled in Sweden and been separated from their families due to migrating. The interviews explored psychosocial measures that they had received and their own resources for coping. The data was then analysed through Thematic Analysis. Result The results are presented in three overarching themes. The first indicates that psychosocial support is an ambiguous term that was described in manners that contradicts a duality of professional and non-professional support. The two following themes describe support from the informants’ surrounding networks and their own attitudes and efforts of coping. These themes present a “map” of psychosocial needs that can orient support providers to suitable interventions. Discussion and conclusion The study concludes that psychosocial support for migrants in separation benefits of being looked upon from a holistic perspective of needs. Western dualities of professional and non-professional support are not the primary concern in such crises. The findings imply that providers of support do well in bridging the gap to others and collectively fill such necessities. Providing access to community, acknowledgment, and a sharing of the efforts to reunite are means to help the separated find purpose in seemingly purposeless suffering. Methods of coping are own ways to endure the distress of separation. Supporters may help to explore such strategies while remembering cultural variations of perspectives on stress and support.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-184588 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Persson, Joel |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Institutionen för socialt arbete |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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