Interdisciplinary Wellbeing Construct Developed Among Resettled Refugees

Abstract

US refugee resettlement emphasizes wellbeing; however, the definition of “wellbeing” is debated and the unreliability of surveys for refugees has been underscored. This pilot study utilized community engaged research principles to develop a composite measurement scale from the domains of somatic experience, occupational balance, social inclusion, and self-identification, leveraging consumer technology to pragmatically administer the material to a diverse group with varied literacy. Following qualitative data collection from March 2014 to February 2015, 65 participants from Bhutan or Myanmar were recruited from an agricultural program or through their resettlement caseworker to participate in a tablet-based survey from February to July 2015. Fifty-six (86%) participants were evaluable. Seventeen measures reduced into three sub-scales, and analyses demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between the slopes of somatic experience and occupational balance (p = 0.039). Somatic experience exhibited statistically significant differences between the two ethnic groups, but no other significant differences were observed by age, gender, time, or between the agricultural and home-based participants. Our results suggest the utility of the survey among diverse groups and the potential for a novel multi-dimensional wellbeing construct to be used in community-based settings.