Exploring the experiences and needs of asylum-seeking and refugee individuals through qualitative and Personal Construct methods

This thesis is concerned with first-person accounts of the needs and experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee individuals in European asylum countries. The aim of the research programme was twofold. Firstly, to explore how participating asylum-seeking and refugee individuals understand and make sense of their experiences and how societies can best support them through qualitative methods. Secondly, to determine the value of using a method based on George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (PCT) as a ‘working tool’ to elicit constructs that guide meaning-making and understanding in asylum-seeking and refugee individuals in European countries. An inherent goal throughout the research was to give voice to asylum-seeking and refugee children, youths and adults, whose voices are rarely heard. The research programme included two types of studies. There were two exploratory studies based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, and three studies that examined the value of applying a method based on Kelly’s PCT method, where the resulting data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Overall, the studies focus on first-person accounts and personal constructs of asylum-seeking and refugee children, youth and adults, and highlight aspects of the social world that are perceived to be critical to these individuals. In all of the studies, the immense importance of social support and social relationships were found to be main themes, in addition to possibilities related to education, work and being able to make a positive contribution to the resettlement country. Furthermore, challenges related to language difficulties, isolation, stigmatisation and cultural clashes were identified as central themes. It is hoped that these findings may be implemented in theoretical and practical work, when seeking to develop intervention and support strategies for these groups. Additionally, it is hoped that the participants’ willingness to share their perspectives will lead to an increased understanding of the complexity of asylum-seeking and refugee experiences

How do refugee children experience their new situation in England and Denmark? Implications for educational policy and practice

As the number of individuals who have been forced to flee their homes and country of origin has increased rapidly in recent years, the need to understand how best to support such individuals, especially the youngest of them, becomes pressing. This study presents findings from interviews with adults who had arrived as asylum-seekers in one of two countries, Denmark or England, when they were children. Qualitative findings based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analyses demonstrate the participants' focus on Language-based challenges that extend to further difficulties, Choosing to succeed, Gaining strength through social support, encouragement and guidance, Integrating two separate worlds into one and Seeing, hearing and understanding children's needs. The participants have had time to reflect on their early experiences of integration, and their voices can inform researchers, educators and other practitioners currently working with refugee children and families

Inndragning- straffeloven § 35 1. og 2. ledd : en juridisk oppgave

Bachelor i politiutdannin

Experiences of Arriving to Sweden as an Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Minor from Afghanistan: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Objective: The number of individuals seeking refuge and safety in European and Western host-societies has increased in recent years and there is no evidence to suggest that this trend will reverse in the foreseeable future. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and youth are particularly vulnerable to risk. The detrimental influence of political conflicts, war and forced migration on asylum-seeking individuals’ mental health is well-documented; however, the stressors encountered after arrival to the host-country have been investigated less frequently. This study explored how a group of six male refugees from Afghanistan experienced arriving to the Swedish host-society as unaccompanied minors, and how they perceived the support available to them. Methods: Based on individual semi-structured interviews, an interpretative phenomenological analysis was carried out to explore the perceived risks and protective factors during the first months and years in the host-society. Results: The qualitative findings draw attention to the crucial importance of clarifying the complex asylum-seeking process, the protective influence of social support, the importance of educational guidance, and participant’s strong desire to fit in and move forward with their lives. Conclusion: The resulting information can inform the practice of supporting asylum-seeking youths’ adaptation in host-societies and in developing assessment measures and interventions for these groups. Specifically, the results indicate the protective role of social support and highlight the potential value of mentoring schemes

Voices rarely heard: personal construct assessments of Sub-Saharan unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee youth in England

Unaccompanied refugee minors are particularly vulnerable to stress and risk during the journey to asylum-countries and in the post-migration environment. This study aimed to determine ways in which positive post-migration development and integration could be achieved for this group. Thematic analysis of interviews based on Personal Construct assessments reflected young asylum-seeking and refugee individuals' experiences of their social situation in England. Participants emphasised the importance of social support as a means for hope, as an escape from distress and as an opportunity to form relationships that resembled family bonds. They expressed their desire to move forward and to achieve their goals, as well as their fear of rejections and issues related to trust. The participants' voices illustrate areas where gaps remain to be filled in terms of providing sufficient support to unaccompanied minors and youth in England, with implications for future research, policy and practice. The importance of providing unaccompanied children and youth with an opportunity to engage in meaningful activities with peers and adults is demonstrated and the need to provide initiatives that seek to prevent discrimination is highlighted

Internalizing and externalizing symptoms among unaccompanied refugee and Italian adolescents

This study investigated the prevalence of emotional and behavioral symptoms in unaccompanied refugee adolescents living in Italy; an area which remains under-researched despite the relatively high number of asylum seekers registered in Italy compared to other industrialized countries. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for 6–18 year-olds was completed by a social worker or parent for each of the 120 participating adolescents; sixty male unaccompanied refugee adolescents and sixty male native Italian adolescents. The paper presents findings that illustrate high levels of emotional and behavioral problems in unaccompanied refugee youth living in Italy. On all components of the CBCL, unaccompanied refugee adolescents were found to present with significantly more problems, as reported by social workers, compared to the Italian group of adolescents. In the light of these results, the importance of interventions and culturally sensitive therapeutic programs for refugee youth is discussed

MILP Model for Energy Supply Design to overcome the Cannibalization of Solar Thermal Plants and large-scale Heat Pumps in Urban District Heating Systems

Urban infrastructure is accountable for a large share of carbon emissions, especially energy supply to meet the demand for thermal heat and domestic water. Regarding the climate agreements these systems have to be decarbonized. In urban neighbourhoods, district heating systems (DHS) are efficient solutions to supply heat and favoured by locally or regionally operating municipal utilities. To integrate renewable heat from solar thermal plants or waste heat from lakes or rivers by using heat pumps, DHS in highly densed agglomerations face major problems. On the one hand the availability of land respectively free space is limited. On the other hand operating times of solar thermal plants and large-scale heat pumps are similar considering a long-term planning horizon. In this contribution a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed todetermine the implementation of both options solar thermal plants as well as large-scale heat pumps in DHS with adjustable generation plants in an optimal way. The model computes minimal investment costs and related emission savings for different alternatives integrating heat of renewable sources. The results can support the decision-making regarding the feasibility. Furthermore, good combinations of different renewable energy sources and their integration into a DHS can be identified even though the sources are distributed over the DHS. Main decision variables are the choice of possible plant sizes under consideration of the (existing) DHS-network layout and available space in highly densed urban districts. The networktopology as well as energetic and ecological constraints (e.g. maximum flow capacity in pipes or operating times of heat pumps due to boundary conditions of heat sources) lead to a selection of plant combinations which represent the optimal solution to lower the emissions at acceptable investment costs. The developed model is applied to a case study for an DHS in a newly built neighbourhood with several available heatsources for heat pumps and free areas for solar thermal collectors. The results proof the function of the model and illustrate that an energetic improvement of the DHS is possible by integrating solar thermal plants and large-scale heat pumps at economically acceptable conditions

The effect of augmented speech-language therapy delivered by telerehabilitation on post stroke aphasia – a pilot randomized controlled trial

Pilot a definitive randomized controlled trial of speech-language telerehabilitation in poststroke aphasia in addition to usual care with regard to recruitment, drop-outs, and language effects. Pilot single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Telerehabilitation delivered from tertiary rehabilitation center to participants at their home or admitted to secondary rehabilitation centers. People with naming impairment due to aphasia following stroke. Sixty-two participants randomly allocated to 5 hours of speech and language telerehabilitation by videoconference per week over four consecutive weeks together with usual care or usual care alone. The telerehabilitation targeted functional, expressive language. Main measures: Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment: naming (primary outcome), repetition, and auditory comprehension subtests; Verb and Sentence Test sentence production subtest and the Communicative Effectiveness Index at baseline, four weeks, and four months postrandomization. Data were analyzed by intention to treat. No significant between-group differences were seen in naming or auditory comprehension in the Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment at four weeks and four months post randomization. The telerehabilitation group ( n = 29) achieved a Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment repetition score of 8.9 points higher ( P = 0.026) and a Verb and Sentence Test score 3 points higher ( P = 0.002) than the control group ( n = 27) four months postrandomization. Communicative Effectiveness Index was not significantly different between groups, but increased significantly within both groups. No adverse events were reported. Augmented telerehabilitation via videoconference may be a viable rehabilitation model for aphasia affecting language outcomes poststroke. A definitive trial with 230 participants is needed to confirm results

Impact of White Matter Lesions on Cognition in Stroke Patients Free from Pre-Stroke Cognitive Impairment: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Background/Aim: Post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia may be caused by pure vascular, pure degenerative or mixed disease. The relation between post-stroke cognitive impairment and the combination of vascular pathology and degenerative changes is less evaluated. We aimed to evaluate the associations between white matter lesions (WMLs) and patient performance 1 year after stroke on tests of executive functioning, memory and visuospatial function, adjusted for the effects of lifestyle and disease-related factors, including medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTLA). Methods: Patients with a first-ever stroke or transient ischemic attack were invited to participate in the study. The associations between the cognitive test performances and WMLs were studied using linear regression [Trail Making Test B (TMT B) and 10-word test] and logistic regression (Clock Drawing Test). Results: In total, 199 patients completed the follow-up. The TMT B (p = 0.029) and the 10-word test (p = 0.014) were significantly associated with WMLs; however, the Clock Drawing Test (p = 0.19) was not. The TMT B (p = 0.018) and the 10-word test (p ≤ 0.001) were both significantly associated with MTLA. Conclusion: Impaired executive functioning and memory are significantly associated with WMLs and MTLA. The mechanisms explaining post-stroke cognitive impairment are multifactorial, including different types of vascular pathology and coexisting vascular and degenerative changes

Self-reported cognitive and psychiatric symptoms at 3 months predict single-item measures of fatigue and daytime sleep 12 months after ischemic stroke

Introduction: Post-stroke fatigue and increased need for daytime sleep are multidimensional and insufficiently understood sequelae. Our aim was to study the relationships of self-reported cognitive and psychiatric symptoms at 3 months with fatigue and daytime sleep at 12 months post-stroke. Methods: Ischemic stroke patients without reported history of dementia or depression completed postal surveys 3- and 12-months post-stroke. At 3 months, psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and self-reported changes in cognitive symptoms (concentration and memory) compared to pre-stroke were assessed using single-item measures. At 12 months, single-item questions about changes in self-reported difficulties sleeping at night, fatigue and daytime sleep were included. First, we studied whether self-reported cognitive and/or psychiatric symptoms at 3 months were associated with daytime sleep and fatigue at 12 months using multiple logistic regression. Second, we fitted 2 structural equation models (SEMs) predicting fatigue and 2 models predicting daytime sleep. We compared a model where only age, sex, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; NIHSS), and difficulties sleeping at night predicted fatigue and daytime sleep at 12 months to a model where mental distress (i.e., a latent variable built of cognitive and psychiatric symptoms) was included as an additional predictor of fatigue and daytime sleep at 12 months. Results: Of 156 patients (NIHSS within 24 hours after admission (mean ± SD) = 3.6 ± 4.3, age = 73.0 ± 10.8, 41% female) 37.9% reported increased daytime sleep and 50.0% fatigue at 12 months. Increased psychiatric symptoms and worsened cognitive symptoms were associated with fatigue and daytime sleep at 12 months, after controlling for NIHSS, age, sex, and difficulties sleeping at night. SEM models including mental distress as predictor showed adequate model fit across 3 fit measures (highest RMSEA = 0.063, lowest CFI and TLI, both 0.975). Models without mental distress were not supported. Conclusion: Self-reported cognitive and psychiatric symptoms at 3 months predict increased daytime sleep and fatigue at 12 months. This highlights the relevance of monitoring cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in the subacute phase post-stroke. However, future research using validated measures of self-reported symptoms are needed to further explore these relationships.publishedVersio