Ana M.M.S Rodrigues
University of Southampton, United Kingdom. ORCID: 0000-0003-1004-8481.
Email: anamargu23@hotmail.com
Volume 10, Number 3, 2018 I Full Text PDF
DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v10n3.08
Received July 29, 2018; Revised October 02, 2018: Accepted October 27, 2018; Published October 27, 2018.
Abstract
A forced migrant is a person who tries to settle in another country after leaving their own country unwillingly, but is psychologically plagued by the past and by everything that characterises their country of origin. Therefore, there is a twofold difficulty: the forced migrant has to integrate into a country that was not desired, which causes psychological stress, while feel weakened by the losses and traumas associated with their departure.
The aim of this study was to determine what are the strategies employed by forced migrants to manage the grief experienced as a result of significant losses.
The research took the form of a systematic review of the literature, following a search on the electronic platform EBSCO host for studies published between January 2006 and January 2016. The search results were subsequently evaluated, respecting the inclusion and exclusion criteria previously established.
Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings of these studies revealed that in order to manage the grief they experienced as a result of significant losses, many forced migrants used strategies based on work, socialisation, in religious observance, the continuation of their cultural practices and taking care of children.
The results suggest the need to give space to forced migrants to express their suffering, helping them to seek strategies that facilitate them in managing the grief that stems from significant losses associated with their departure from their country of origin.
Keywords: Forced migrants, loss, grief, coping strategies.