The Relationship Between Trauma, Acculturation, and Mental Health Symptoms in a Somali Refugee Community
Abstract
The conflict in Somali has resulted in millions of refugees and internally displaced
persons for more than three decades. More than 100,000 Somali refugees have been resettled
in the United States, striking a need for additional research about mental health needs and
pre-migration experiences that led to resettlement. The purpose of this study was to learn
more about traumatic experiences incurred pre-migration for Somali refugees, the impact on
the process of acculturation following resettlement, and the relationship between pre
migration trauma, acculturation, and mental health. It was hypothesized that acculturation
would mediate the relationship between pre-migration trauma and mental health symptoms.
The results partially supported this hypothesis, dependent upon the dimension of
acculturation included in the path analysis. Unexpected findings occurred with regard to
unique relationships between the various acculturation dimensions in the model, traumatic
experiences, mental health symptoms, and time in the United States. Implications and
directions for future research are discussed.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- Review of the literature -- Method -- Results -- Discussion -- Appendix A. Solicitation statements to invite study participation -- Appendix B. Informed consent -- Appendix C. Measures used in dissertation-English version -- Appendix D. Measures used in dissertation-Somali version
Degree
Ph.D.