Mental Health of Refugee and Non-refugee Migrant Young People in European Secondary Education : The Role of Family Separation, Daily Material Stress and Perceived Discrimination in Resettlement

While scholarly literature indicates that both refugee and non-refugee migrant young people display increased levels of psychosocial vulnerability, studies comparing the mental health of the two groups remain scarce. This study aims to further the existing evidence by examining refugee and non-refugee migrants’ mental health, in relation to their migration history and resettlement conditions. The mental health of 883 refugee and 483 non-refugee migrants (mean age 15.41, range 11-24, 45.9% girls, average length of stay in the host country 3.75 years) in five European countries was studied in their relation to family separation, daily material stress and perceived discrimination in resettlement. All participants reported high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Family separation predicted post-trauma and internalizing behavioral difficulties only in refugees. Daily material stress related to lower levels of overall well-being in all participants, and higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behavioral difficulties in refugees. Perceived discrimination was associated with increased levels of mental health problems for refugees and non-refugee migrants. The relationship between perceived discrimination and post-traumatic stress symptoms in non-refugee migrants, together with the high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms in this subsample, raises important questions on the nature of trauma exposure in non-refugee migrants, as well as the ways in which experiences of discrimination may interact with other traumatic stressors in predicting mental health.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Migrant Students’ Sense of Belonging and the Covid‐19 Pandemic: Implications for Educational Inclusion

This article investigates school belonging among migrant students and how this changed during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Drawing on quantitative data gathered from 751 migrant students in secondary schools in six European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK), we examined the impact of Covid‐19 school closures, social support, and post‐traumatic stress symptoms on changes in school belonging. Linear regression showed a non‐significant decrease in school belonging, and none of the studied variables had a significant effect on this change in our whole sample. However, sensitivity analysis on a subsample from three countries (Denmark, Finland, and the UK) showed a small but significant negative effect of increasing post‐traumatic stress symptoms on school belonging during Covid‐19 school closures. Given that scholarship on school belonging during Covid‐19 is emergent, this study delineates some key areas for future research on the relationship between wellbeing, school belonging, and inclusion.</p

Gespräche über Drogen: Positionierung und Reflexivität in Forschungsinterviews

The recognition of the role of discourse in the production of self-understandings and subjectivity has undergone considerable theoretical development over the past decades. Yet, attention to possible ramifications for the status of conversation-based research has been limited and parochial.This article examines the research interview, as a methodological technique and as a social and cultural event, in relation to representations of drug use, agency and responsibility, arguing that research conversations about drugs cannot be understood in separation from the cultural repertoire of speaking positions evoked by the particular topic of inquiry. In the context of drug research, such positions are embedded in circulating narratives of drug use and drug users, as well as in generalized images of responsibility, self-sufficiency, and the personal management of information and risk. Drawing on material from an ethnographic study of recreational substance use among young adults in Norway, it is suggested that such conversations are unique occasions for the deployment of and reflection on subject positions, giving rise to functions of the research interview beyond the generation of sociological data.URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs140323El reconocimiento del rol del discurso en la producción de la auto-comprensión y la subjetividad ha experimentado un considerable desarrollo teórico en las últimas décadas. Sin embargo, ha sido limitada y coloquial la atención a las posibles ramificaciones sobre el estatus de la investigación conversacional.Este artículo examina la entrevista de investigación, como técnica metodológica y como evento cultural y social, en relación con las representaciones del uso de drogas, la agencia y la responsabilidad, argumentando que la investigación en torno a conversaciones sobre las drogas no puede ser comprendida aparte del repertorio cultural de las posiciones discursivas evocadas por el tópico de investigación. En el contexto de la investigación sobre drogas, dichas posiciones se encuentran imbricadas en narrativas en circulación respecto al uso de drogas y a los usuarios, así como a imágenes generalizadas de responsabilidad, auto-suficiencia, manejo personal de la información y riesgo. Con base en material proveniente de un estudio etnográfico que aborda el uso recreativo de sustancias entre adultos jóvenes en Noruega, se propone que dichas conversaciones son ocasiones únicas para el desarrollo y reflexión de posiciones subjetivas, dando lugar a funciones de la entrevista de investigación que van más allá de la generación de datos sociológicos.URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs140323Die Rolle, die Diskursen für (Selbst-) Verstehen und Subjektivität zukommt, ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten zunehmend theoretisch konzeptualisiert worden. Zugleich ist die Aufmerksamkeit für mögliche empirische Konsequenzen im Rahmen gesprächsbasierter Forschungsarbeiten weiter eher begrenzt.In diesem Beitrag beschäftige ich mich mit Interviews zu Drogennutzung, Handlungsfähigkeit und Verantwortlichkeit als einer methodischen Technik und einem sozialen bzw. kulturellen Ereignis, indem ich davon ausgehe, dass Forschungsgespräche nicht unabhängig vom kulturellen Repertoire verfügbarer Positionierungen zu einem spezifischen Gegenstand verstanden werden können. Im Falle empirischer Forschung zur Drogennutzung sind solche Positionierungen eingebettet in Narrative über Drogen und Drogennutzer/innen sowie in generalisierte Vorstellungen über Verantwortlichkeit, Selbstgenügsamkeit und das je individuelle Management von Information und Risiko. Rückgreifend auf Ergebnisse einer ethnografischen Studie zum Freizeitdrogenkonsum junger Erwachsener in Norwegen versuche ich zu zeigen, dass die dort geführten Gespräche eine herausragende Gelegenheit für die Entfaltung und Reflexion subjektiver Positionierungen auch über das Generieren soziologischer Daten hinaus boten.URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs14032

Talking about drug use: positioning and reflexivity in drug research interviews and beyond

"Die Rolle, die Diskursen für (Selbst-)Verstehen und Subjektivität zukommt, ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten zunehmend theoretisch konzeptualisiert worden. Zugleich ist die Aufmerksamkeit für mögliche empirische Konsequenzen im Rahmen gesprächsbasierter Forschungsarbeiten weiter eher begrenzt. In diesem Beitrag beschäftige ich mich mit Interviews zu Drogennutzung, Handlungsfähigkeit und Verantwortlichkeit als einer methodischen Technik und einem sozialen bzw. kulturellen Ereignis, indem ich davon ausgehe, dass Forschungsgespräche nicht unabhängig vom kulturellen Repertoire verfügbarer Positionierungen zu einem spezifischen Gegenstand verstanden werden können. Im Falle empirischer Forschung zur Drogennutzung sind solche Positionierungen eingebettet in Narrative über Drogen und Drogennutzer/innen sowie in generalisierte Vorstellungen über Verantwortlichkeit, Selbstgenügsamkeit und das je individuelle Management von Information und Risiko. Rückgreifend auf Ergebnisse einer ethnografischen Studie zum Freizeitdrogenkonsum junger Erwachsener in Norwegen versuche ich zu zeigen, dass die dort geführten Gespräche eine herausragende Gelegenheit für die Entfaltung und Reflexion subjektiver Positionierungen auch über das Generieren soziologischer Daten hinaus boten." (Autorenreferat)"The recognition of the role of discourse in the production of self-understandings and subjectivity has undergone considerable theoretical development over the past decades. Yet, attention to possible ramifications for the status of conversation-based research has been limited and parochial. This article examines the research interview, as a methodological technique and as a social and cultural event, in relation to representations of drug use, agency and responsibility, arguing that research conversations about drugs cannot be understood in separation from the cultural repertoire of speaking positions evoked by the particular topic of inquiry. In the context of drug research, such positions are embedded in circulating narratives of drug use and drug users, as well as in generalized images of responsibility, self-sufficiency, and the personal management of information and risk. Drawing on material from an ethnographic study of recreational substance use among young adults in Norway, it is suggested that such conversations are unique occasions for the deployment of and reflection on subject positions, giving rise to functions of the research interview beyond the generation of sociological data." (author's abstract

Talking About Drug Use: Positioning and Reflexivity in Drug Research Interviews and Beyond

The recognition of the role of discourse in the production of self-understandings and subjectivity has undergone considerable theoretical development over the past decades. Yet, attention to possible ramifications for the status of conversation-based research has been limited and parochial. This article examines the research interview, as a methodological technique and as a social and cultural event, in relation to representations of drug use, agency and responsibility, arguing that research conversations about drugs cannot be understood in separation from the cultural repertoire of speaking positions evoked by the particular topic of inquiry. In the context of drug research, such positions are embedded in circulating narratives of drug use and drug users, as well as in generalized images of responsibility, self-sufficiency, and the personal management of information and risk. Drawing on material from an ethnographic study of recreational substance use among young adults in Norway, it is suggested that such conversations are unique occasions for the deployment of and reflection on subject positions, giving rise to functions of the research interview beyond the generation of sociological data. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs14032

Negotiating the social and medical dangers of abortion in Addis Ababa. An Exploration of young, unmarried women's abortion seeking journeys

Unmarried, young women constitute a significant proportion of women who undergo unsafe abortion in Ethiopia. Based on material from an ethnographic study, the experiences of young, unmarried women who had been admitted to the hospital in the aftermath of an unsafe, clandestine abortion are explored in this article. The routes the young women followed in their search of abortion services and the concerns and realities they had to negotiate and navigate are at the fore. Despite their awareness of the dangers involved in clandestine and illegal abortion, the young women felt they had no choice but to use medically unsafe abortion services. Two reasons for this are highlighted: such services were affordable and, significantly, they were considered socially safe in that the abortion remained unknown to others and the stigma of abortion and its consequences could hence be avoided. In situations in which choices had to be made, social safety trumped medical safety. This indicates a need for abortion services that address both the medical and social safety concerns of young women in need of such services. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis, available online: http://www.tandfonline.co

The torture victim and the dentist: The social and material dynamics of trauma re-experiencing triggered by dental visits

Introduction: The flow of refugees towards Europe over the past decade has placed increased demands on the health care services. A significant proportion of refugees have been subjected to torture involving their mouth or teeth, still the importance of oral health challenges is often overlooked or underestimated in the rehabilitation of torture victims. In this qualitative study, we set out to explore the processes that complicate torture victims’ ability to engage in and tolerate dental procedures.&#x0D; Methods: Ten resettled refugees with experience of torture were recruited among patients affiliated with specialized clinics for oral health rehabilitation in Norway. Data were collected through semi-structured exploratory interviews, and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach.&#x0D; Results and discussion: We present an exploration of what we have called the social and material anatomy of the triggering event; the process through which trauma-related reactions are produced in torture victims in the course of undergoing dental treatment. All professionals who work with torture survivors should be aware that these individuals often suffer from oral health problems that may affect both their physical and their psychological quality of life. However, although dental treatment is essential, it may still represent a major challenge. Our data suggest, we propose, that dental treatment often involves an experience being suspended, albeit temporarily, in an objectified position, acted on by subjects capable of producing deeply undesirable mental, emotional or bodily states. Three main categories emerged as the most prominent factors with such an agentic capacity: 1) pain, 2) traumatic memories and 3) the dentist. Submitting to dental treatment hence requires the patient’s willingness to give in to the actions of these factors, and avoiding treatment may therefore, in this situation, represent a means of retaining control

Mental Health of Refugee and Non-refugee Migrant Young People in European Secondary Education : The Role of Family Separation, Daily Material Stress and Perceived Discrimination in Resettlement.

While scholarly literature indicates that both refugee and non-refugee migrant young people display increased levels of psychosocial vulnerability, studies comparing the mental health of the two groups remain scarce. This study aims to further the existing evidence by examining refugee and non-refugee migrants' mental health, in relation to their migration history and resettlement conditions. The mental health of 883 refugee and 483 non-refugee migrants (mean age 15.41, range 11-24, 45.9% girls, average length of stay in the host country 3.75 years) in five European countries was studied in their relation to family separation, daily material stress and perceived discrimination in resettlement. All participants reported high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Family separation predicted post-trauma and internalizing behavioral difficulties only in refugees. Daily material stress related to lower levels of overall well-being in all participants, and higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behavioral difficulties in refugees. Perceived discrimination was associated with increased levels of mental health problems for refugees and non-refugee migrants. The relationship between perceived discrimination and post-traumatic stress symptoms in non-refugee migrants, together with the high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms in this subsample, raises important questions on the nature of trauma exposure in non-refugee migrants, as well as the ways in which experiences of discrimination may interact with other traumatic stressors in predicting mental health