Coping and resilience in refugees from the Sudan: a narrative account

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to identify and explicate coping and resilience themes employed by 13 resettled Sudanese refugees.

Method: A sample of 13 Sudanese refugees was asked to describe their experience of coping in the three periods of their migration, namely: pre migration from Sudan, transit, and post migration in their host country. Members of the sample participated in qualitative interviews conducted with the assistance a bilingual community worker.

Results: Three themes that characterized the experience of resettled refugees across all periods were: religious beliefs, social support and personal qualities. A fourth less salient, theme, comparison with others, also emerged in the post-migration context.

Conclusions: A number of themes associated with coping and resilience in response to trauma were identified. These themes may be translated into strategies to assist in responding constructively to trauma. Such approaches may be used to improve the well-being of resettled refugees in Australia.