The role of spirituality in building the resilience of migrant children in Central America (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 2017
Academic research across different disciplines has evidenced that spirituality contributes significantly to the building up of resilience. Little research, however, exists on the relationship between spirituality and resilience among displaced children. Enquiring into this particular area is urgent not only because of the increasing numbers of displaced children in the world today but also because of the insufficiency of current responses, which fail to address children's deep questions about life, themselves, the world and God. This paper argues that spirituality has the potential to answer these deep existential needs, and, by doing so, can constitute a key resilience factor for migrant children. Furthermore, it argues for the value of using interdisciplinary approaches to explore these issues. Through a qualitative investigation involving adult professionals working with migrant children and adult faith leaders and/or experts in spirituality, this paper provides new insights into how to understand the relationship between spirituality and resilience among displaced populations, and how to nurture migrant children's spirituality in multi-faith and non-faith settings.
Children are frequently the innocent victims of social, psychological, economic, and political transformation domestically as well as internationally. They impact community and family dynamics in diverse deleterious ways—some predictable and some are not. About 6 million Indonesian children are left behind by their mothers who migrated to work abroad. As migrant workers, the mothers can only return home after the completion of their contractual tenure (a minimum of 2 years). This is a qualitative study exploring the coping strategies employed by the left-behind children of female Indonesian migrant workers in dealing with the maternal absence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five left-behind children. The thematic analysis revealed that God-reliance, self-reliance and diversion seeking represented the major coping strategies of these children. Among these themes, God-reliance emerged as the significant coping strategy employed, contributing to their resiliency. This paper discusses in further detail the ramifications of the above situation in relation to collaborative networking and voluntarism towards a progressive and holistic generation.
The Role of Religious and Spiritual Factors in Coping with Psychosocial Problems in Refugee Adolescents, 2024
Adolescence is a challenging time when individuals experience rapid physical, emotional, and spiritual changes. This period may bring both opportunities and challenges. The situation may become more difficult when adolescents live in difficult circumstances, such as migration. Spending adolescence in refugee circumstances can lead to negative and traumatic situations for adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychosocial adjustment of refugee adolescents and to determine how they deal with trauma and negative experiences and how they cope with negative situations. This study aimed to understand the extent to which adolescent refugees who struggle with psychosocial problems resort to religious and spiritual methods and what coping styles they implement. Therefore, qualitative research was conducted through semistructured interviews with 50 adolescent refugees aged 11-19 years from different neighborhoods of Istanbul. To ensure the homogeneity of the study, attention was given to the age of the participants and to include both male and female participants. According to the results of the study, the most common psychosocial problems to which refugee adolescents are exposed are witnessing war, death, the loss of loved ones, and being forced to migrate. The participants had issues related to security, basic human needs, health, education, and housing. However, refugee adolescents were likely to use positive coping styles, including praying, reading the Qurʾān, gratitude, patience, and attributing good. The findings show that religious and spiritual factors are important for refugee adolescents’ attempts to cope with psychosocial problems. In addition, positive religious coping styles are significant for posttraumatic growth and development.
Religions, 2020
Given the strong link between religiousness and hope, we sought to further understand the relations of these potentially powerful resources for youth living in adversity. Although existing research suggests that religiousness might be associated with adolescent hope via spirituality and social connections, few studies have tested models that integrate both. Thus, as applied psychologists, the aim of this paper was to test a theoretical model in the lives of youth. Drawing on a Relational Developmental Systems metatheory, we sought to further elucidate the relations between religiousness and hope and to explore how involvement in the faith-based youth-development organization, Compassion International (CI), might facilitate character strengths like hope. In order to do so, we tested whether religiousness was directly and indirectly (via spirituality and social connection) related to hopeful future expectations, using a sample of 9–15-year-olds in El Salvador (M = 11.6 years; n = 888)...
Journal of Psychology and Theology, 2011
O ne area of focus in the field of community psychology is the investigation of factors related to stress, coping and adaptation (Sandler, Braver & Gensheimer, 2000), particularly among populations that are marginalized by society. Guatemala and Kenya are both countries that have recently experienced political violence in the context of long histories of colonialization, oppression and poverty (Gichaara, 2005; Higueros, 1995). The current study examines responses of indigenous faithbased relief providers in Guatemala and Kenya describing how they utilized religion to cope with their own experience of political violence as well as to cope with stress related to providing relief services to others. In an effort to study both emic and etic dimensions of religious coping, the study also examines these responses within the framework of Pargament and colleagues' (1998; 2000) religious coping constructs to determine responses that are consistent with findings across other cultures (etic) and to identify and describe responses that are culturally specific to Guatemala and Kenya (emic). Finally, this article examines emic and etic responses within the context of literature on African and Central American theologies. Political Violence and Religion in Guatemala and Kenya Guatemala endured a 36-year civil war from 1960 until 1996. Conservative sources estimate that 200,000 civilian deaths and 50,000 disappearances, or presumed kidnapping and murder, occurred out of a population of 11 million. At least 444 villages were completely razed under the 'scorched earth' policy; 100,000 people were exiled; and 1 million people were internally displaced (Anckermann et al., CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISON OF RELIGIOUS COPING METHODS REPORTED BY NATIVE GUATEMALAN AND KENYAN FAITH-BASED RELIEF PROVIDERS Guatemala and Kenya are both countries that have recently experienced political violence in the context of long histories of colonialization, oppression and poverty. The current study examines focus group responses of indigenous faith-based relief providers in Guatemala and Kenya describing how they utilized religion to cope with their own experience of political violence as well as to cope with stress related to providing relief services to others. In an effort to study both emic and etic dimensions of religious coping, the study also analyzes these responses within the framework of Pargament and colleagues' (1998; 2000) religious coping constructs to determine responses that are consistent with findings across other cultures (etic) and to identify and describe responses that are culturally specific to Guatemala and Kenya (emic).
Vulnerable but not broken: Psychosocial Challenges and Resilience Pathways in Unaccompanied Children from Central America, 2018
We review the social science research on the psychosocial aspects of this humanitarian crisis and identify priority areas for future research. Additionally, we provide recommendations for culturally and developmentally informed practice, programs, and legal advocacy. Despite the report’s specific focus on unaccompanied children, much of the information discussed and most of the resources highlighted may also be relevant to the many other immigrant children in the U.S. who have suffered abuse, trauma, or other harms and are in significant need of support.
Incorporating Spirituality into Social Work Practice with Migrants
The world has become a more pluralistically, spiritual society due to globalisation and the influx of migrants to new countries. These changes beckon social workers, especially those who work with migrants, to incorporate spirituality into their practice. This paper proposes a spirituality-based social work framework that can help social work practice adapt to the varied backgrounds of migrants through self-awareness and non-judgement, empathy and trust, communication and interconnectedness, experience and compassion, and acceptance and new beginnings. The purpose of this framework is twofold: first, to help social workers understand spirituality for themselves, and second to help them use this to initiate a non-judgemental, collaborative and client-centred approach with their migrant clients.
Affirming Childhood Spirituality of Hospitalized Immigrant Children
2014
On several occasions my fellow European hospital chaplains have invited me to visit African patients, more especially hospitalized children. The purpose of such invitations is to facilitate the patient's openness and comfortability since I am an African just as the patient is. While there maybe advantages in such practices, the African patient is robbed of a new European spiritual relational experience. Children are open to new experiences and new relationships even in a hospital care environment. Therefore denying them new cultural and relational experiences may inhibit both spiritual development and cultural skill building opportunities .
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2016
The purpose of this study was to examine the interplay between daily spiritual experiences and meaning making in a sample of 254 Salvadoran teachers with histories of exposure to violence and potential trauma. When controlling for rates of lifetime community violence exposure and demographic factors (age, gender), teachers with higher daily spiritual experiences indicated better posttraumatic adjustment (i.e., more perceptions of posttraumatic growth [PTG], lower posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms). In addition, there was evidence that teachers' capacity to make meaning of salient life stressors served as an intervening pathway for the spirituality-PTSD link but not for the association between spirituality and PTG. The present study addresses the general research gap on religion/ spirituality among persons from Central America. These findings support the importance of spirituality research in persons exposed to pervasive trauma in Latin America and the importance of developing interventions for this population, as spirituality may be a protective factor.
Resilience of Somali Migrants: Religion and Spirituality among Migrants in Johannesburg
2018
Various studies have already been done on the mistreatment of migrants and the psychological effects thereof. This study sought to explore the resilience of Somali migrants residing in Fordsburg/ Mayfair, Johannesburg by interrogating how religion and spirituality may have assisted them in coping with their challenges. A qualitative study was undertaken, using purposive sample of ten Somali migrants. In addition, face to face in –depth interviews were undertaken with participants between the ages of 20 and 55 years. The findings of the study indicated that by supporting the resilience of the Somali migrants, religion and spirituality had played a major role. The interesting part is that their culture and religion becomes integral to their migration. In this regard the community has devised relational, cultural, and religious resources that help them navigate their challenges of migrations. Scholars of migration have, in recent decades, developed increasing interest in the processes ...