POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH AND MENTAL HEALTH STATUS OF ROHINGYAS’ AND CHIN REFUGEES IN INDIA

Monu Lal Sharma, Akbar Hussain, Shekhar Kumbhar

Abstract


Refugees have traumatic experiences which force them to abandon their country of origin. After migration into the asylum country refugees face ethnic and cultural identity differences and feel rejected and denigrated. Sometimes traumatic experiences bring many positive changes in their lives especially towards self and others which provide prospective mental health and coping mechanism to overcome challenges of life.

Therefore, the study was conducted on the Rohingya and Chin Burmese refugee belonging to different age groups staying in Delhi from last few years were taken incidentally from different localities. Posttraumatic growth inventory was used to assess their positive changes attributed to the struggle with trauma. For assessing mental health status Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-Revised (HTQ), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Back Depression Inventory – II and Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) for somatic symptoms were used. The finding suggested that group differences were found among the Rohingya and Chin refugees with regard to their post traumatic growth. However, demographic features were positively related with posttraumatic growth and predicted deterioration in the extent anxiety, depression and somatization and the results were discussed in the present cultural context.


Keywords


Posttraumatic growth, Mental health, Anxiety, Somatization, Refugee, Rohingyas.

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