Abstract
Arab refugees have come to the United States fleeing political oppression, civil conflicts, and wars. It is essential to use a comprehensive trauma paradigm to consider the traumatic experiences endured in refugees’ home countries and their new experiences of prolonged traumatic stressors such as discrimination and identity loss. This chapter uses the development-based trauma framework (DBTF) to analyze the trauma experiences of Arab refugees. Research is reviewed on the most salient traumas experienced by Arab refugees in the USA and the developmental effects of trauma on children, youth, and older adults. Resources for coping and resilience are highlighted. A critique of evidence-based mental health interventions for refugees is provided and followed by suggestions for clinical practice related to counseling, outreach, and advocacy. Practitioners are encouraged to attend to major service barriers such as mental illness and stigma and to draw on refugees’ cultural strengths including community, family, and religion.
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Kira, I.A., Amer, M.M., Wrobel, N.H. (2023). Arab Refugees: Trauma, Resilience, and Recovery. In: Nassar, S.C., Ajrouch, K.J., Dallo, F.J., Hakim-Larson, J. (eds) Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28360-4_9
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