The relation between post-migration experiences and psychosocial wellbeing: an exploratory study of the perceptions of highly educated refugees in the U.K.

This study explores how highly educated refugees in the U.K. perceive the relation between their post-migration experiences and their psychosocial well-being. A literature review of the migration and psychological health area and the widely-used stress and coping approach revealed that the “vulnerable” and “passive” images have all too often been assigned to refugees when discussing their psychological health, and that the latter have often been approached as beings detached from their social context. The aim of the research was to explore the participants’ own perceptions (or “lay narratives”) of their experiences and their well-being. These were used to converse with the stress and coping concepts and with the images related to psychological activism, an alternative stress and coping perspective that views people as active agents who try to take control of their life, instead of mere passive recipients of stress. The study is based on constructivism, and accordingly the emphasis is put on the subjective world of experience and the researcher critically reflects on how the social context shapes the participants’ perceptions. The empirical work consists of two studies. In the first one, semi-structured interviews were carried out with fifteen young and highly educated refugees in the U.K. The findings highlight how the participants used the stress and coping concepts and the images related to psychological activism, so the value of such concepts is reconfirmed. But a deeper critical look reveals that the semi-structured interviewing may have strongly directed how the participants discussed their perceptions and that it was unclear how these perceptions are formed in social interaction. Consequently I conducted additional empirical work to carry the emerging issues further. In the second study, autobiographical narrative interviews were carried out with another group of fifteen highly educated refugees in the U.K. The findings reveal that they made sense of their experiences and their well-being through three distinctive stories. The stories of hope and survival presented by two subgroups of participants suggest a more balanced view of refugees, one that is not necessarily “vulnerable” and “passive”. These participants made sense of their experiences and well-being through the elements of “hope, persistence and activism”. But the story of disappointment presented by a third subgroup revealed that some participants did not perceive their experiences and their well-being through a positive lens. It also highlighted the need to further explore how they formed their perceptions in social interaction. Indeed, it was shown how the social context, particularly negative attitudes they received at the community level, was largely responsible for their narrative of disappointment. The theoretical contribution of this research lies in exploring how the participants, through their own narratives, made sense of the concepts of stress and coping. The methodological contribution refers to the bridging of ideas and previous work from other disciplines and to the innovative application of narrative interviewing to this population. A major practical contribution is that this research offered a channel for refugees to talk about their experiences and their well-being in their own words. Furthermore, possible explanations emerge on why some refugee groups can indeed seem “vulnerable” and “passive” and this has important implications for those who design and implement interventions aimed at enhancing the well-being of refugees

A qualitative analysis of migrant social workers’ work experiences and perceived prejudice from an empowering acculturative integration approach

An increasing number of migrant social workers are employed in the UK social work sector. This article explores the acculturative integration experiences of a small group of migrant social workers. We critically observe that research on migrant professionals’ trajectories should adopt theories that emphasise people’s empowerment and potential for agency. We use a framework drawing on liberation psychology for analysing the autobiographical narratives of a sample of migrant social workers employed in England. Findings indicate that the participants perceived prejudice on a number of occasions and circumstances. Even though in their narrative of survival they talked about activating several psychosocial resources, they were sceptical about their professional development and dissatisfied at work. The paper discusses the emerging findings while highlighting the framework’s relevance for understanding these experiences from an empowering acculturation perspective and suggesting ways of improving migrant social workers’ acculturative integration by addressing systemic barriers

Cultural capital and professional development experiences of migrant health and social care professionals

In the last decade there has been a systematic growth in the population of skilled migrants entering the UK health and social care sector. In particular, the numbers of social workers possessing qualifications from overseas who come to work in the UK have been increasing annually (Hussein et al., 2010a). Previous research has examined the profile, motivations, experiences and expectations of ‘international’, ‘overseas’ or ‘migrant’ social workers in the UK. In some of these studies (e.g. McGregor, 2007) the participants were professionals from various fields who entered the care sector out of necessity after their arrival to the UK, while in other studies the participants were qualified social workers who trained in their home countries and then migrated to the UK to join the social care sector (Evans et al., 2006b; Hussein et al., 2010b; Moran et al., 2005; Sale, 2002). Much of this literature focuses on challenges these professionals face as they enter the social work workforce (e.g. difficulties in adapting to the English culture, insufficient induction, limited opportunities for career progression) as well as on adverse experiences at the workplace (e.g. experiences of racism and discrimination). While it is undeniably important to do further research on these challenges and difficulties and suggest effective ways of tackling them, it is also important to explore the resources these professionals activate when faced with such challenges. In particular, it is important to tap into the ways in which they actually utilise their cultural capital both in its formal/institutionalised form (i.e. educational credentials and professional qualifications) but also in its informal/incorporated form (i.e. their own work ethics). In this paper migrant social workers are not perceived as passive employees whose cultural capital is inevitably undermined by institutional and informal forms of exclusion, but as active agents who can shape to a large extent the specific context in which they work. The paper is based on part of a larger original research project, which explored the education and employment-related experiences of three groups of migrant health and social care professionals (doctors, social workers and nurses) before and after migrating to the UK. The presented findings emerged from five in-depth narrative interviews carried out with migrant social workers* who were qualified in their home countries and are currently working full-time as social workers in England. The narrative analysis illustrates certain institutional mechanisms which influence the participants’ experiences (e.g. their informal/incorporated cultural capital, that is, their own work ethics, is often undervalued in which case they feel they do ‘more managerial tasks and less actual work with people’). The analysis also reveals how certain social norms in the field of social work shape the participants’ experiences while interacting with colleagues, employers and service-users (e.g. experiences of bullying or mistreatment). However there are also particular accounts of how they actually utilize their cultural capital both for resolving dilemmas they face at the workplace but also for suggesting general improvements in the services they are employed in. Our analysis therefore highlights not only the employment-related difficulties migrant social workers face but also how individuals themselves effectively deal with professional challenges. *language in this area varies but we use the term ‘migrant’ to describe social workers who have qualified outside the UK -either from the EU or other countries- and have already significant work experience in the UK social work sector

Forced Migration and psychosocial health: meaning-making through autobiographical narratives in the UK

This paper explores how refugees in the UK perceive the relation between their experience of migration and their psychosocial health. Autobiographical narrative interviews were carried out with fifteen refugees residing in the UK. The findings reveal a contrast between the negative stereotypes concerning refugees' psychosocial health and the participants' own perceptions. Two of the three emerging narratives suggest a more balanced view of refugees' psychosocial health, since- in contrast to the stereotypes- most participants did not perceive this through the lens of 'vulnerability'. The third narrative revealed that a hostile social context can negatively shape refugees' perceptions of their psychosocial health. This runs counter to the stereotype of refugees as being exclusively responsible for their 'passiveness' and therefore for the problems they face

Well-being of highly skilled refugees: a value-laden phenomenon

The concept of well-being in migrant and refugee populations has attracted for several decades social scientists' and clinicians' interest. It started off as a primarily psychological construct which focused largely on the coping resources individuals activate when faced with various migration-related stressors, and then gradually developed to a more psychosocial phenomenon which is shaped both by people's agency and contextual factors. Nowadays the initial 'individualistic' focus has given way to a more balanced approach and there is broad consensus on migrant well-being being conceptualized and understood as a multilevel and dynamic phenomenon, conditioned by norms of justice prevalent in the host society (Prilleltensky, 2008). However the well-being of refugees is still often approached through an individualistic and pathology-prone lens, despite noteworthy calls for shifting attention to its contextual and proactive aspects (Bala, 2005; Eastmond, 2000; Papadopoulos, 2007; Powles, 2004). This approach still holds strong due to a range of psychological and psychiatric theories one-sidedly linking migration with stress; along with a preoccupation with illness which has pervaded refugee-related policies, program development and research; and finally due to the media portrayal of refugees as prone to mental illness. All the above factors have led to a focus on refugees' pathology, which still haunts their health picture today (Watters, 2001). This paper strongly endorses the clear connection of migrant well-being to social justice, yet it argues that in the case of certain groups such as highly skilled refugees who reside in western countries, this connection between social justice and well-being should be both empirically founded and more pronounced if social scientists and clinicians are to help develop and sustain this population’s well-being. By focusing on a small sample of highly skilled refugees who reside in the UK and who have not attained a positive state of well-being this paper explores the connection between refugee well-being and social justice norms. Social justice here is defined as the fair allocation of responsibilities, resources and power in society. By drawing on the autobiographical narratives of highly skilled refugees who had serious difficulties in the host country in terms of securing full refugee status, having their educational credentials and professional qualifications acknowledged and entering the labour market, thus had their duties, resources and power-opportunities thwarted, this paper highlights the value-ladenness of well-being for this population. It concludes by prompting social researchers and practitioners in this field to consider issues of justice when designing and implementing psychosocial interventions for this group's well-being