MIGRATION TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON RESILIENCY AMONG ERITREAN REFUGEES IN JIREF KHARTOUM, SUDAN

Abstract

Refugees affected by political upheaval, global pandemics and armed conflict endure a variety of potential traumatic stressors and traumatic experiences. They are exposed to traumatic experiences related to violence, death threat, hunger, trafficking, torture and many other criminal victimizations. Such exposure makes the refugees vulnerable and adversely affects their psychological well-being. The situations that forced the refugees to flee their home country are often worsened by danger resulting in stress and depression. Nonetheless, in the face of highly stressful and traumatic experiences, refugees have the capacity to successfully adapt and recover. The purpose of this study was to examine the migration traumatic experiences and their influence on resilience among Eritrean refugees in Jiref, Khartoum Sudan. The study was guided by the following objectives: To establish the influence of pre-migration traumatic experiences on resilience; to determine the influence of post-migration period traumatic experiences on resilience; to explore the prevalence of traumatic symptoms and to examine the intervention strategies used to enhance the level of resilience among Eritrean Refugees in Jiref, Khartoum, Sudan. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was employed to collect data. A total of 300 respondents aged 18 and above were selected randomly. Quantitative data was collected using Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, post-migration living difficulties checklist and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC-25). Qualitative data was collected using in-depth focus group discussion. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study's main findings revealed a weak, negative significant relationship between the constructs of pre-migration, post-migration, trauma symptoms, and resilience levels indicating that refugees' resiliency was significantly reduced by traumatic events and trauma symptoms. As a result, the research's main recommendation was the establishment of counselling facilities to help refugees build resilience.