Emotional experience of Afghan migrants in Iran

Abstract

Migration, settlement in a new country and assimilation of immigrants are often accompanied by sorrow, melancholy and despair. This research investigates the emotional understanding and experience of Afghan migrants in Iran. Using the constructivist grounded theory approach, data were collected through fieldwork among 45 participants. The data were analyzed using grounded theory by employing initial, focused and theoretical coding. Seven main categories were constructed from the data analysis, which include "Sense of Hopelessness", "Fear of Deportation", "Feeling of Restriction", "Survival and Dailiness", "Losing Self-confidence", "Regret and Frustration" and "Comparative Satisfaction". Finally, the core category of "Emotional Disparity" was constructed. The emotional experiences of Afghan immigrants from the living conditions in Iran show that they experience more negative emotions than positive ones. In sum, migrants' emotional responses indicate emotional disintegration.