Understanding Afghan Families Needs and Strengths During Resettlement

Project Summary

BCSSW will team up with the University of Illinois Chicago, Department of Psychiatry, through a sub-grant partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), with funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement,to assess the needs, strengths, and challenges that Afghan families face during the resettlement process, in order to equip service providers with family support strategies. There are currently more than 85,000 Afghan evacuees who have been evacuated to the U.S.; 40% of the incoming Afghan population are minor-aged children and adolescents. This population has been exposed to acute trauma and dislocation all of which raise the risk of poor family functioning and mental health and psychosocial problems in resettled children. Upon resettlement in the U.S., there is additional risk and vulnerability due to resettlement stressors as well as other inherent challenges of adjusting to life in the U.S. This project, ‘Understanding Families’ Needs and Strengths that Affect Youth Mental Health Among Afghan Families in Resettlement,’ will also provide resources for culturally informed practices that service agencies can utilize to engage the community.

Approach

Findings from our phase one qualitative assessments at Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin indicated problems with parenting, parent-child communication and family conflict and child and youth mental health and psychosocial problems as well as numerous family strengths utilized to overcome challenges including spending time together, praying together and teaching children and supporting their learning. Afghan families have since left Safe Haven locations such as those at Ft. McCoy to be resettled in communities across the country. 

We will aim to build on qualitative data from our phase one assessments to conduct about 100 free listing interviews with a purpose of gaining a broad understanding of the problems, strengths, service needs and resources among resettled Afghans, and 40 key informant interviews to gather more information about the mental health and behavioral problems of children identified in the free listing exercise and identify mental health syndromes in the community. The research project will target resettled Afghan adults (18+ years) and youth (10-17 years) at the Refugee Immigrant Assistance Center (RIAC) in Boston, MA.

In addition to building upon our qualitative work, the BCSSW-UIC team will develop and deliver 3 webinars to disseminate the findings of the work to refugee service organizations funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the U.S. 

Project Goals

1. Assess the needs and strengths of families as well as the challenges families are experiencing during their resettlement experience
2. Identify family support strategies that can be deployed by refugee service organizations
3. Summarize what is known about psychosocial consequences of war and forced migration on children and the evidence for multi-level interventions
4. Provide guidance for culturally informed practice with Afghan families.

Relevant Media

*The IRC received competitive funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant #90RB0052. The project is 100% financed by federal funds. The contents of this document are soley the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.