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Refugee mental health: differential trauma exposure and gendered expectations as explanatory mechanisms for disparities

In: Research Handbook on Society and Mental Health

Author

Listed:
  • Jessica R. Goodkind
  • Julia Meredith Hess
  • Ryeora Choe
  • Yuka Doherty
  • Meredith A. Blackwell
  • David T. Lardier
  • Deborah I. Bybee

Abstract

Extensive research has documented the impact of forcible displacement on refugees' mental health. Refugee women experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms than men, a gender disparity that has been consistently found across multiple other populations. In a mixed-methods study of 162 refugees resettled in the United States from three regions (Afghanistan, Iraq/Syria, and the Great Lakes Region of Africa), women's significantly higher rates of distress were fully mediated by higher rates of exposure to two potentially traumatic events (PTEs; separation from family/loved ones and being forced to leave their homes). Qualitative interview data supported these findings and suggested that women may have experienced family separation more frequently and saliently because of gendered roles and expectations. These results suggest that differential exposure to and appraisals of PTEs are related to socially constructed gender norms, which are important in explaining refugee women's higher rates of psychological distress.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica R. Goodkind & Julia Meredith Hess & Ryeora Choe & Yuka Doherty & Meredith A. Blackwell & David T. Lardier & Deborah I. Bybee, 2022. "Refugee mental health: differential trauma exposure and gendered expectations as explanatory mechanisms for disparities," Chapters, in: Marta Elliott (ed.), Research Handbook on Society and Mental Health, chapter 6, pages 82-100, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:elg:eechap:20327_6
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