Qualitative Health Research
April 2015; 25 (4)
http://qhr.sagepub.com/content/current

Special Issue: Perceptions of Caregivers

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Exploring the Mental Health Effects of Political Trauma With Newly Arrived Refugees
Patricia J. Shannon1, Elizabeth Wieling1, Jennifer Simmelink McCleary2, Emily Becher1
1University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
2Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Abstract
We explored the mental health effects of war trauma and torture as described by 111 refugees newly arrived in the United States. We used ethnocultural methodologies to inform 13 culture-specific focus groups with refugees from Bhutan (34), Burma (23), Ethiopia (27), and Somalia (27). Contrary to the belief that stigma prevents refugees from discussing mental health distress, participants readily described complex conceptualizations of degrees of mental health distress informed by political context, observation of symptoms, cultural idioms, and functional impairment. Recommendations for health care providers include assessment processes that inquire about symptoms in their political context, the degree of distress as it is culturally conceptualized, and its effect on functioning. Findings confirm the cross-cultural recognition of symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder; however, refugees described significant cultural variation in expressions of distress, indicating the need for more research on culture-bound disorders and idioms of distress.

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Vicarious Resilience in Counselors of Child and Youth Victims of Interpersonal Trauma
Fabiane S. Silveira1, Wanda Boyer2
1Open Doors Movement, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
2University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Abstract
In this study, we investigated how bearing witness to clients’ resilience processes during treatment impacts the personal and professional lives of counselors who work with child and youth victims of interpersonal trauma. We used a qualitative instrumental multiple-case study design and thematic analysis to explore the research question. The participants indicated that they experienced an increased sense of hope and optimism, and were inspired by the strengths of their clients while working with this population. As the participants reflected on the challenges that their clients faced, the participants put their own challenges and strengths into perspective; they reported positive changes in their personal relationships. We suggest that future research might investigate the relationships we found between optimism, hope, and vicarious resilience processes, as well as the potential relationship between the counseling approach that counselors adopt and the development of vicarious resilience responses.