Mothering in resettlement: An analysis of caregiving stress and adjustment among Syrian and Iraqi refugee women.

• In Event: Exploration of caregiver experiences and community-based interventions among refugee, internally-displaced, and war-impacted communities

Abstract

Background and Purpose: For refugees, the resettlement period is known to be fraught with financial, cultural, emotional, and psychosocial difficulties, which not only impact individuals but the whole family unit. One important but largely overlooked impact on refugee families is the experience of mothering. In the refugee mental health literature, the mother-child relationship has been viewed primarily through the lens of its impacts on child-development with considerably less research focused on understanding the lived experience of mothers. Some research has explored the difficulties mothers face when parenting in contexts of war and conflict or displacement, as well as the resilience they draw upon to promote wellbeing in their children. However, there is limited data exploring how this process, in turn, affects mothers. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine the experience of mothers who had fled conditions of war and violence in Iraq and Syria and were currently resettled in Chicago, including the nature and meaning these mothers attributed to their maternal role and caregiving experiences.

Methods: Data in this study is drawn from a larger community-based participatory research project conducted with Syrian and Iraqi refugee communities in Chicago to identify multi-level risk and protective processes and inform development of mental health treatment and prevention services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Arabic with 54 caregivers (30 Syrian, 24 Iraqi). Drawing on grounded theory methods, the analytical process was multi-phase beginning with open coding and development of descriptive categories, with later phases pursuing more conceptual interpretations to identify key social processes grounded in the perspectives of participants.

Findings: A three-factor model describing the nuanced process of mothering in resettlement was developed, consisting of: 1) diverse challenges faced by children in resettlement, 2) maternal strategies adopted to protect children and promote their wellbeing, and 3) psychosocial impact on mothers. Common challenges for children concentrated on navigating cultural identity, discrimination and xenophobia, safety and socio-relational changes and ambiguous losses. Strategies employed by mothers to mitigate these experiences included sacrificing one’s own needs, expanding the maternal role, and preserving values and cultural identity. Through this process, refugee mothers simultaneously struggled with accumulating exhaustion and a sense of maternal burden while also reaffirming their maternal role and identity.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings highlight protective parenting strategies that Syrian and Iraqi mothers adopt to minimize the risks to their children that result from war, forced migration and resettlement while also drawing needed attention to how this experience shapes maternal wellbeing. The findings allow for the identification of specific aspects of this process that can be targeted for interventions to promote maternal adjustment and mitigate negative psychosocial outcomes. Given the reciprocal relationship between maternal and child wellbeing, promotion of positive maternal outcomes is another critical area of focus for services with the potential to shape and improve the overall family context and functioning.

Authors

• Nicole Zolman, University of Illinois at Chicago
  Presenting Author

• Mary Bunn, University of Illinois at Chicago