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Personal and Social Forms of Resilience: Research with Southeast Asian and Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in Canada

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Refuge and Resilience

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Migration ((IPMI,volume 7))

Abstract

Despite pre-migration assaults such as persecution, escape, and internment, and despite the challenges of resettling in a strange country, only a minority of refugees become mental health casualties. Stress process theory provides a useful framework for understanding what happens to refugees and how they respond. Personal characteristics, pre- and post-migration risk and protective factors, both at the psychological and social levels interact to affect mental health. Pre- and post-migration stresses jeopardize mental health while personal and social resources not only enhance mental health directly but also buffer the effects of stress. This chapter focuses on two dimensions of resilience among refugees: time perspective as a personal resource and social resources based in family, like-ethnic community, and the larger society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

    Morton Beiser

  2. Keenan Research Centre and Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada

    Morton Beiser

  3. Cultural Pluralism and Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Morton Beiser

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Correspondence to Morton Beiser .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center on Immigration and Justice, Vera Institute of Justice, New York, New York, USA

    Laura Simich

  2. Department of Psychiatry Equity, Gender and Populations Division, University of Toronto Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Lisa Andermann

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Beiser, M. (2014). Personal and Social Forms of Resilience: Research with Southeast Asian and Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in Canada. In: Simich, L., Andermann, L. (eds) Refuge and Resilience. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7923-5_6

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