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Trauma and Children: A Refugee Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2015

Jabrulla Shukoor
Jabrulla Shukoor*
Affiliation:
Clinical and Detention Services Coordinator, Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors, 286 Beaufort Street, Perth, Western Australia6000
*
address for correspondence: Jabrulla Shukoor, Registered Psychologist, Clinical and Detention Services Coordinator, Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors, 286 Beaufort Street, Perth, Western Australia6000. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Post-traumatic stress affects both the mental and physical health of individuals, giving rise to various psychological disturbances. The neurological effects of these disturbances are similar across age groups, irrespective of race or culture. However, the perception of psychological disturbances differs from culture to culture depending on issues such as the stigma that attaches to mental illness and the ability or willingness to seek assistance. While much research has been undertaken on the impact of trauma on both adults and children, research to explore the effect of trauma on people in the context of their various cultures, especially people of refugee background, remains at an early stage. Mental health professionals working with refugees encounter various challenges. They range from dealing with resistance by individuals to the notion of counselling itself, to barriers such as the perceived stigma that prevents some individuals from acknowledging mental health problems. Other challenges in providing mental health services in such cases are contributed to by government policies and the limited resources available. All this exacerbates the mental health of traumatised parents and caregivers, and has a ripple effect on their children, who exhibit the effects of trauma in their own ways. This paper aims to highlight and discuss these issues through the presentation of two case studies, suggest a workable recovery model, possible ways to deal with the challenges, and to propose recommendations for working with non-Western children and their families.

Keywords

traumarefugeechildrencounsellingchallengesstigma
Type
Conference Proceedings
Information
Children Australia , Volume 40 , Issue 3: INTERPRETING NEUROSCIENCE, CREATING EVIDENCE - A COLLECTION OF AUSTRALIAN BASED TRAUMA INFORMED RESEARCH AND PRACTICE , September 2015 , pp. 188 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

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