Profile
Project Title: Loss of Trust: investigating the relationship between traumatic events, trust and social functioning in refugees and asylum seekers using mixed methods
Summary: By the end of 2023, an estimated 117.3 million people were displaced globally, with projections indicating this could rise to 1.2 billion by 2050, compounded by climate change. Displacement is driven by various factors such as persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, and events disrupting public order. Many displaced individuals have experienced multiple traumatic events, leading to high rates of PSTD. This can have a substantial sequential impact on their social behaviours, including the way in which they trust others, help-seek, develop social connections, and participate in community activities. Given the relationship between psychological well-being and social factors (e.g., trust, perceived threat), disruptions in one domain may exacerbate issues in the other, resulting in social exclusion or difficulties in integrating into their host country.
This study therefore aims to further our understanding of the relationship between trauma, trust and social functioning. As a result, findings could guide the development of more targeted psychological interventions for refugees and asylum seekers. In order to achieve this, the specific aims of the study are: 1) To identify key factors in social function that are affected by trauma and PTSD, stratified by types of traumatic events experienced; 2) To explore notions of trust and threat perception and socialisation in PTSD with refugees and asylum seekers using mixed methods; 3) To examine the role of cultural factors in the construction of (dis)trust through use of participatory, visual creative methods.
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