Introduction to Special Section on : Psychosocial support, conflict transformation and creative approaches in response to the needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been involved in psychosocial support activities for migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and crisis-affected communities since the late 1990s. The organisation’s approach to its psychosocial programmes is systemic, interdisciplinary and community based. One main feature of these programmes has been the organisation of executive masters, diploma or certificate courses on psychosocial approaches to population mobility in low-resource or crisis-affected countries and communities.

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Resilience building through alternative intervention : ‘STARTTS “Project Bantu Capoeira Angola”’; On the road to recovery

As a consequence of prolonged exposure to the high levels of cumulative trauma such as war, gross human rights violations and traumatic loss, refugee adolescents are at significant risk of developing psychological and behavioural complications. During resettlement in Australia, they are often faced with social challenges. It is vital to provide support at this vulnerable stage to reduce future setbacks.

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Psychosocial support to foster social cohesion between refugee and host communities in Jordan

The internal conflict in Syria has displaced large numbers of the population into neighbouring countries since the uprising in 2011. The large influx of displaced people into Jordan poses great challenges to the international community as well as local authorities, with increasing competition for already scarce resources and services creating rising tensions between refugee and host communities.

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Unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in the Netherlands : choice or chance?

Worldwide, many migrants leave their countries in search of safety and international protection. In 2015, the number of asylum seekers in Europe reached a peak. Among them were unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UMAs). The current study aimed to investigate how and why UMAs who sought protection in the Netherlands during that year, ended up here. 

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‘Better to Drown’ : A Greek Refugee Camp’s Epidemic of Misery

He survived torture in Congo, and a perilous boat journey from Turkey. But Michael Tamba, a former Congolese political prisoner, came closest to death only after he had supposedly found sanctuary at Europe’s biggest refugee camp.

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Trauma and perceived social rejection among Yazidi women and girls who survived enslavement and genocide

 

Background: In August 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a terrorist organization, attacked the Yazidi’s ancestral homeland in northwestern Iraq. Among other atrocities, they abducted thousands of women and girls and traded many of them into sexual slavery. The aim of this study is to determine the mental health of women and girl survivors of these events in relation to enslavement and experiences with genocide-related events, as well as perceived social rejection in their community.

 

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‘This is not paranoia, this is real life’ : psychosocial interventions for refugee victims of torture in Athens

The need for culturally relevant treatment interventions for refugees focusing on post-migration factors is clearly of no small concern. To (i) explore culturally informed perspectives on trauma from an individual, qualitative perspective and (ii) track the trajectory of post-traumatic responses in relation to processes of social integration, we present the results of 12 months of research among asylum seekers and refugees in an NGO-run centre for victims of torture in Athens, Greece.

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Mental health capacity building in refugee primary health care settings in Sub-Saharan Africa : impact, challenges and gaps

Background. In 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees started a process of mental health capacity building in refugee primary health care settings in seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, ultimately aiming to decrease the treatment gap of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) conditions in these operations.

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The neural dynamics of deficient memory control in heavily traumatized refugees

Victims of war, torture and natural catastrophes are prone to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These individuals experience the recurrent, involuntary intrusion of traumatic memories. What neurocognitive mechanisms are driving this memory disorder?

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Primary care of refugees and migrants : Lesson learnt from the EUR-HUMAN project = Menekültek, migránsok az alapellátásban : Mit tanulhattunk az EUR-HUMAN projekt eredményeiből?

In 2015, local wars, starvation and misery in some Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries forced millions of people to leave their homelands. Many of these people migrated toward Europe, reaching Hungary as well. The refugee crisis created significant challenges for all national healthcare systems across Europe.

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