Supportive and Unsupportive Social Interactions in Relation to Cultural Adaptation and Psychological Distress Among Somali Refugees Exposed to Collective or Personal Traumas

Abstract

The present study evaluated the traumatic stressors experienced by Somali refugees to Canada ( N = 169) that might be associated with poorer cultural adaptation and greater depressive and trauma symptoms. As well, it was suggested that indices of social support might mediate the relations between traumatic experiences and psychological outcomes. Regression analyses indicated that collective trauma experiences (e.g., civil warfare) were associated with poorer cultural adaptation but were not related to depressive and trauma symptoms. Furthermore, collective trauma was unrelated to social support perceptions that might have mediated the relation to cultural adaptation. In contrast, personally traumatic experiences (e.g., assault from a familiar other) were related to increased depressive and trauma symptoms, and these relations were mediated by self-reports of encountering unsupportive social interactions. Qualitative analyses of interview data ( n = 23) suggested that refugees had developed a shared understanding of collective trauma that may have protected against psychological distress.