Relations between traumatic life events and mental health of Eritrean asylum-seeking mothers and their children's mental health. (September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mayer, Yael; Ilan, Rotem; Slone, Michelle; Lurie, Ido
• Is Part Of: Children and youth services review. Volume 116(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-09
• Subjects: Asylum-seekers -- Children -- Post-traumatic stress symptoms -- Self-efficacy; Social work with children -- Periodicals; Social work with youth -- Periodicals; Adolescent -- Periodicals; Child Welfare -- Periodicals; Social Work -- Periodicals; Service social aux enfants -- Périodiques; Service social à la jeunesse -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105244
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0190-7409

Abstract

Highlights: The mental health of asylum-seeking mothers and their children was examined. Children's difficulties positively correlated with mothers' psychological distress. Low mothers' distress was a protective factor for children's mental health. Children's high self-efficacy was a protective factor for their mental health. The findings can serve stakeholders in designing interventions and policies. Abstract: In the last decades, millions of families worldwide have been forced to flee their homes and seek asylum elsewhere due to war, conflict, and persecution. Though these families are exposed to adverse circumstances, studies regarding mental health consequences to these families are scant. In the current study, we examined the mental health of asylum-seeking mothers and their children. Participants were 18 mother–child dyads of asylum-seekers. Mothers completed the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist. Children completed the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and General Self-Efficacy Scale. Children's psychological difficulties positively correlated with mothers' general distress, somatization, depression, and anxiety. The relation between mothers' exposure to trauma and their children's psychological difficulties was moderated by mothers' mental health. Finally, children's self-efficacy moderated relations between mothers' post-traumatic stress Symptoms and children's psychological difficulties. These findings highlight the importance of identifying risk and resilience factors among asylum-seeker families.