Understanding the Effects of Involuntary Migration on Family Relationships: Meaning Construction by Parents and Service Providers

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the meanings constructed of involuntary migration processes and influences on family relationships and interactions. We draw from qualitative interview data with 30 Syrian and Iraqi refugee parents (13 females and 17 males) currently living in Canada, as well as survey data from professionals working with newly arrived refugee families in a Canadian context. Refugee parents reflect on the impact of pre-migration, in transit, and post-migration circumstances and experiences on their family relationships. These men and women tell stories of their responses to and the effects of difficult experiences initiating and accompanying their involuntary migration from war zones, and post-migration settlement. To complement this interview data, we also surveyed group facilitators working in the same local community with refugee families (including parents, teens, and younger children) in Journey Home, a cultural adaptation of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP 8–11, 12–16), identifying and addressing early risk factors leading to potential involvement of criminal justice and child protection services. These professionals reflect on what they have heard and observed, in these groups, about parents, teens, and children’s experiences of involuntary migration and resettlement and effects on family interactions. They also reflect on what aspects of their own prior experience and professional/academic training aid them in their work. These reflections by both refugee family members and service providers are both similar and different. They highlight the challenges and resiliencies of family life in the face of involuntary migration, the conditions that enhance family well-being and effective professional supports.