Temporal patterns of post-earthquake human displacement and housing support strategies in urban and rural areas

Refugee status adjudicators often rely on the assumption that people understand and can explain their own mental processes (Evans Cameron et al., 2024a). This scoping review looks at metacognition (thinking about thinking) and the extent to which cognitive processes are available to conscious awareness and/or control. PsychInfo (Ovid), Scopus, and ProQuest databases were searched for articles published since 2016: 7885 articles were identified; 62 papers were included in the final review, including 108 studies. Findings indicate that, while people are rarely completely unaware of how they make decisions and judgements, this understanding can exist outside of conscious awareness or can be inaccurate or incomplete due to their misunderstanding of memory and other cognitive processes. This review’s findings add further urgency to the call to bring psychology research evidence to bear on this aspect of refugee status decision-making (Herlihy et al., 2024).

ABSTRACT As higher education becomes increasingly globalized, institutions face growing pressure to serve diverse student populations, including those from refugee, ethnic minority, and first-generation backgrounds. Among these, Somali Bantu students—a historically marginalized ethnic group from Somalia—encounter layered barriers in higher education, shaped by institutional invisibility and racialized refugee status. Despite being part of broader discourses on refugee student experiences, their unique positionality remains largely overlooked. Drawing on data from a larger qualitative study, this study offers a focused phenomenological analysis of seven Somali Bantu students attending predominantly white institutions in the U.S. Guided by Anzaldúa’s Borderlands Theory and using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), it explores how they navigate intersecting identities—ethnic, racial, religious, refugee, and first-generation—within academic environments. Findings reveal a pervasive theme of ethnic invisibility, unfolding across three dimensions: the homogenization of Somali identity, institutional unawareness of Somali Bantu presence, and the overshadowing of ethnic identity by religious identity. These layers of invisibility produced deep feelings of isolation and marginalization, impacting their sense of belonging and persistence. By centering their lived realities, this study contributes to decolonial, diasporic, and refugee-centered discourses in higher education, calling for more nuanced institutional responses that affirm African refugee identities and foster academic inclusion.

As global efforts to support displaced persons grow, Canada has taken significant steps to accept and resettle refugees. However, refugees in Canada often experience greater health disparities and more barriers to accessing healthcare compared to non-refugees. Acknowledging how these challenges affect their healthcare utilization, this systematic review aimed to examine the current state of knowledge of emergency department (ED) presentation patterns among Canadian refugees compared to non-refugee patients. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Six databases were searched from inception until October 2024. Studies were included if they provided quantitative data comparing refugee and non-refugee ED presentations in Canada. Meta-analysis was not performed because of the limited number of studies and heterogeneity. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, including data from Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. Six studies focused on children or young adults (≤ 24years old). ED presentations were categorized into general adult and pediatric presentations, mental health presentations for both groups, and pregnancy-related presentations. Unintentional injury was the most common presentation for both refugee and non-refugee patients, followed by respiratory and abdominal complaints. Refugees showed higher rates of certain ED visits, particularly for pregnancy-related issues and postpartum psychiatric concerns. They also demonstrated higher presentation rates for intentional self-harm compared to non-refugee immigrants. However, these findings derive from individual studies rather than pooled data. Although comprehensive data on refugees' use of Canadian emergency departments remains limited, unintentional injuries were the most commonly reported reason for ED visits, with comparatively higher rates of pregnancy-related and mental health-related presentations also observed. These patterns may indicate barriers to accessing outpatient services, potentially due to limited knowledge of the healthcare system, underlying cultural stigma, or the need for upfront payments to access these services. Further interventions are recommended to improve access to outpatient healthcare for refugee populations.

ABSTRACT Forced displacement has become an increasingly pressing global challenge, particularly in Africa where refugee movements interact with fragile development structures and growing environmental pressures. Despite the rapid rise in refugee flows across the continent, the literature largely examined refugee dynamics in the context of humanitarian, social and economic perspectives by leaving the relationship between refugee movements, ecological footprint and sustainable development largely unexplored. To fill this gap, the paper empirically investigated the long-run relationship and Granger causality among refugees population, ecological footprint, sustainable development and economic growth in Uganda, Kenya, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo over the period 1990–2023 by the Fourier-based Autoregressive Distributed Lag and the Fourier-based Granger causality test. Before model-based policy recommendations, the robustness of the results is thoroughly evaluated through ARDL methods, residual diagnostics (Jarque–Bera and kurtosis tests), lag-variant Granger causality tests, Fourier F-tests and forecast performance evaluations. The results revealed the existence of cointegration among the variables. Granger causality results indicated a unidirectional causality running from refugee movements to both ecological footprint and sustainable development, and economic growth, and unidirectional causality from EF to SDI except Uganda. Overall, the results demonstrated that refugee movements significantly influence both ecological footprint and sustainable development in the selected countries by suggesting that refugee policies should be integrated with environmental management and sustainable development strategies rather than addressed solely within a humanitarian framework.

The Russian aggression on Ukraine of February 24, 2022 caused the massive influx of war refugees, mainly mothers and children, to Poland. One of the initiatives to support their mental health was undertaken in a frame of the agreement between UNICEF and the Ministry of Health. This study aimed to evaluate the emergency response mental health support program on Ukrainian refugee parents' resilience, mental health and competencies to enhance children's wellbeing in the face of adversity. The project was organized in accordance with the EDPQS model. The intervention was based on the needs and resources assessment and designed in cooperation with Ukrainian specialists. It consists of 10, 2 hr sessions implemented onsite by trained Ukrainian trainers with a group of 10 to 15 parents. The outcomes were assessed using a pretest-posttest design, with comparisons made across groups participating in the program at different but overlapping periods (n = 630). The anonymous questionnaire covered the key components of the program: health (HRQL-14), wellbeing (WHO-5), coping with stress (BRIEF-COPE), resilience (CD-RISC), post-traumatic growth (PTGI), and parenting practices (PRS). Significant positive changes were observed in wellbeing (OR = 9.2), mental and physical health (OR = 3.7 and OR = 8.8), resilience (η2 = 0.10), post-traumatic growth in terms of positive self-perception (η2 = 0.13), positive perception of others (η2 = 0.11), and perception of new opportunities (η2 = 0.11). Increase in use of constructive coping strategies and parenting practices based on child's acceptance, as well as, decrease in excessive protection, excessive demands and inconsistency in parenting were significant, too although the effect sizes were moderate. Presented evidence suggests the Add Strengths program usefulness for emergent mental health support of parents affected by war. However, several factors should be taken into account when interpreting this results, including the temporality and specificity of the psychological needs of the target population, the role of trainers and methodological constraints.

People seeking asylum and with refugee status (ASR) often face worse health outcomes compared with host populations. Despite this, ASR are underserved in health care and research, resulting in a knowledge gap about what promotes their health and resilience. The aim of this review was to define what ASR communities express makes them well. This was a scoping review of peer-reviewed papers and grey literature documenting patient-centred holistic health, wellbeing, and social outcomes in community-based research with ASR. In total, 24 papers met the inclusion criteria. Findings were underpinned by the theory of salutogenesis, or asset-based approaches (what makes people well) and categorised into: on 'head' (for example, skills and knowledge), 'hands' (for example, meaningful activities), and 'heart' (for example, cultural and spiritual connections). Wellbeing was primarily defined by safety, empowerment, and a sense of purpose. The study demonstrates that wellbeing for ASR is multifaceted, encompassing psychological, social, and cultural dimensions. The salutogenesis framework provides a holistic approach to understanding these factors and this study shows that, to align with of 'no decision about me, without me' in health care, individual measures of health and wellbeing measures must encompass these factors.

Environmental emergencies and conflicts are major drivers of human and animal displacements, increasing the spread of communicable diseases. In such contexts, livestock keepers are among the most vulnerable communities. As a matter of fact, when animals are moved, tensions between groups may escalate and disease spread can intensify. In contrast, when livestock are left behind, households face severe economic decline and increased poverty. This article explores the phenomenon of forced displacements at the human-animal interface, potential gaps and opportunities. This narrative review is based on a search of PubMed and grey literature. Peer-reviewed literature published from 2015 to March 2025 and reports and documents from governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and press websites in English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish were considered eligible for analysis. Thirty-four peer-reviewed papers met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies were based in the African Continent on the main migration routes, addressing mainly vector-borne diseases, capacity-building needs and a lack of research. Grey literature was incorporated alongside peer-reviewed papers as governments, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and the press represent relevant actors in implementing coping strategies and raising awareness on forced animal displacements. This narrative review highlights the need for primary data collection and interdisciplinary collaboration adopting a route-based and equity-oriented One Health approach.

Background/Objectives: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is often overlooked in refugees, especially those displaced by war and diagnosed with chronic issues such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We sought to provide a preliminary screening to align with ADHD screening and to examine its related demographic and clinical factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited Syrian refugees residing in Jordan. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1 (ASRS) was employed to provide a preliminary screening of “Consistency with ADHD screening”. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors associated with the “Consistency with ADHD screening”. Results: Data analysis included 345 patients; 179 (51.9%) were females. β-Blockers were used in 151 (43.8%), metformin in 134 (38.8%), and sulfonylurea in 86 (24.9%). In the study, 158 participants (45.8%) reported very consistent results related to ADHD. We used multivariate binary logistic regression, which showed that in our groups that received metformin (OR of 2.08, 95% CI 1.32–3.27, p = 0.001) and insulin (OR of 2.25, 95% CI 1.00–5.04, p = 0.04), we observed a positive association with ADHD symptoms. Also, we noted that high school education was negatively associated with the results of the ADHD screen (OR of 0.58, 95% CI of 0.36–0.94, p = 0.02). Conclusions: This preliminary study guides future steps in addressing ADHD symptoms in war-displaced refugees; proper diabetes management and education seem to be important factors.

Currently Argentine legislation does not recognize gender-based violence as grounds for granting refugee status to migrant women. Nevertheless, there’s a worrying increase of situations in which, due to gender-based violence, many women are forced to flee their countries of origin in search of protection in other countries. In response to this reality, several European and Latin American countries have begun to acknowledge the issue and now grant refugee status to women who are victims of gender-based violence.

ABSTRACT This study examines how displaced persons conceptualise home and evaluate the possibility of return after the cessation of refugee status and the narrowing of mobility options. Drawing on fieldwork with first-generation Liberians in the defunct Oru Refugee Camp in south-west Nigeria, it analyses how shared histories of violence, prolonged exile, and the withdrawal of legal protection shape return decisions long after the formal end of conflict. Although the international refugee system promotes repatriation as the preferred durable solution, Liberia is no longer considered by many interlocutors as a viable future homeland following the termination of their refugee protection. Home is sustained through everyday social life in exile, while return is assessed through comparative and forward-looking judgements about safety, trust, and the durability of peace within a defunct camp environment characterised by long-term social continuity alongside legal and political precarity. This paper demonstrates that the loss of refugee status, when combined with decades of camp-based exile, recasts return from a presumed resolution into a strategic and frequently rejected outcome, providing a lens for understanding mobility decisions in other post-cessation settings where protection ends without secure pathways to belonging.

ABSTRACT Anonymous collages are evidence of the presence of children on the move who come through Calais daily. Secours Catholique keeps the vestiges of what I call their Derridean spectral absent presence next to the sketches of an artist volunteer who has also made portraits of some of these children who transit through. Through these sketches, I contend that the children are ‘living-on’, co-existing in the same space time as children who currently occupy the premises of Secours Catholique, their ghostly presences haunting the premises. In France, where repression has overtaken compassion, charities attempt to look after children’s wellbeing while they are in transit. France’s protection of minors is contingent upon the young person first requesting refugee status and this extends to children who undergo an evaluation process to determine whether they are legally minors, much like the UK’s National Age Assessment Board. For children in transit, such protections are inexistent. They are ghosts in a system that does not recognise them until they make their presence legally known. Drawing on fieldwork undertaken in Calais and in the UK, this paper looks at the ways in which these two places can function as a limbo space that exists outside of time as previous children and current children also co-exist with future children who are inevitably always to come due to the lack of legal routes to apply for asylum in the UK.

The article analyzes the activities of the territorial bodies of the migration service of Transcarpathia in regulating ethno-migration processes in the implementation of state migration policy in 2001 – 2004. The specificity of the Transcarpathian region as a multi-ethnic border region, which at the beginning of the 21st century became a key hub in the system of migration flow management and protection of the rights of national minorities in the context of Ukraine's European integration aspirations, determined the relevance of the problem under study. Unpublished archival documents are introduced into scientific circulation, revealing the practical side of the interaction between the territorial bodies of the region's migration service and representatives of ethnic communities and asylum seekers. Particular attention is paid to the implementation of social adaptation programs for the most numerous national minorities, overcoming barriers in the cultural, educational, and spiritual spheres, and strengthening the historical and traditional atmosphere of interethnic tolerance. The formation of national cultural societies of national minorities, cultural and educational institutions, and their participation in the political life of the region are traced. Particular attention is paid to ensuring the educational and linguistic needs of national minorities in order to preserve their ethno-cultural identity. The peculiarities of the creation and functioning of temporary accommodation centers for persons who have applied for refugee status were identified and analyzed in detail. The mechanism for granting refugee status and cooperation with international and non-governmental organizations involved in migration policy issues to prevent violations of the rights of asylum seekers were analyzed. The opinion is substantiated that the effective implementation of state policy on ensuring the rights of national minorities and refugees in the region was hampered by imperfect interagency coordination, a shortage of financial resources, and a lack of qualified personnel in relevant specialties. The experience of the territorial bodies of the migration service in Transcarpathia became the basis for the formation of a national asylum system in Ukraine. At the same time, this issue has been little studied and requires further research to develop practical solutions for improving national migration policy.

Depressive symptoms in displacement settings are often framed as consequences of refugee status, which can obscure the shared structural conditions emphasized in the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) framework that shape mental health for refugees and host communities and limit the identification of practical intervention targets. This study examines the relative contribution of health, socioeconomic, protection, and contextual factors to depressive symptom severity among adults living in displacement-affected settings in South Sudan. We analyzed nationally representative data from 3,055 adults (2,066 refugees, mean displacement duration 11.15 years; 989 host community members) from the 2023 Forced Displacement Survey. Depressive symptom severity was measured using the PHQ-9. We compared Elastic Net regression, Random Forests, and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) using 10 × 5 nested cross-validation. The best-performing model was interpreted using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to estimate the marginal contribution of each predictor in PHQ units. Mean depressive symptom severity was low to moderate overall (M = 4.43, SD = 5.00) and did not differ by population type (p = 0.783). XGBoost showed the highest predictive performance [Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) = 4.47, R 2 = 0.247], significantly outperforming Elastic Net regression (p = 0.006). Model explanations identified self-rated health status as the dominant predictor (19.3% of total importance), followed by perceived community violence (11.1%), perceived poverty (9.6%). Age (9.3%), discrimination (9.2%), food insecurity (8.6%), and citizenship (8.2%, pooled model only) contributed at moderate levels, whereas social protection (3.4%) and remittances (0.7%) contributed minimally. Predictor profiles were broadly similar across refugee and host models, with differences primarily in magnitude rather than rank ordering. Depressive symptoms in South Sudan appear to be structured primarily by health, material hardship, and protection-related gradients rather than refugee status per se. Findings support integrated, area-based public health responses that link mental health support with primary health care access, poverty-oriented assistance, and protection and safety interventions rather than programming organized primarily around legal status distinctions.

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a preventable condition when detected early through ultrasound screening. Although universal and free DDH screening is available in Turkey, adherence to screening programs may differ between population groups. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with missed opportunities for DDH ultrasound screening among Turkish and refugee infants. This single-center, hospital-based retrospective cohort study was conducted between August 10, 2020, and September 30, 2022. The main cohort included 9020 infants (5466 Turkish and 3554 refugee). A nested sub-cohort was formed comprising infants who had not undergone DDH screening at our institution. Parents of infants in the sub-cohort (120 Turkish and 80 refugee infants) were interviewed via structured telephone calls to determine reasons for missed screening. Univariate and multivariate generalized linear models were used to identify factors associated with missed screening opportunities. The rate of missed DDH screening was 15.8% among Turkish infants and 40.0% among refugee infants. The most common reason for nonattendance was lack of awareness of the screening program, reported by 47.4% of Turkish and 84.4% of refugee parents. In univariate analyses, maternal nationality, parental education level, birth order, and delayed or skipped vaccination were associated with missed screening. In the multivariate model, refugee status remained the only independent predictor of missed screening (adjusted relative risk: 2.41; P = .010). Despite unrestricted and free access to healthcare services in Turkey, refugee infants were more than twice as likely to miss DDH screening compared with Turkish infants. Missed screening was primarily driven by lack of awareness rather than structural barriers. Targeted educational interventions and culturally tailored strategies are needed to improve screening adherence among refugee populations.

The article provides a comprehensive and multi-layered analysis of the economic impact exerted by Ukrainian labor migrants and war refugees on the Polish economy, particularly focusing on the dramatic transformation of migration flows following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The study carefully examines the fundamental differences between the pre-war economic migration and the subsequent wartime humanitarian wave, highlighting shifts in demographic structure, employment rates, income levels, and the pervasive issue of occupational mismatch. A significant portion of the research is dedicated to evaluating the direct contribution of Ukrainian citizens to the Polish labor supply, domestic consumer demand, and the stability of public finances.The findings demonstrate that Ukrainian migration has evolved into a vital structural component of the Polish economy and serves as a crucial factor in maintaining macroeconomic stability among pressing demographic challenges and labor shortages. The research confirms a consistently positive or neutral fiscal effect of the migrants’ presence, noting that tax contributions and social security payments by Ukrainians outweigh the social transfers they receive. Furthermore, the study identifies a clear multiplier effect of their economic activity on Poland’s GDP growth and explores the dynamics of the housing market and bilateral external economic relations.At the same time, the phenomenon of professional deskilling, often referred to as "brain waste", is highlighted as a primary constraint that limits the full utilization of the high-quality human capital possessed by migrants. It is concluded that, under the condition of implementing effective and inclusive integration policies, Ukrainian migration has the potential to become a long-term driver of the structural transformation of the Polish economy. Ultimately, the paper argues that such integration not only benefits the host country but also creates a strategic foundation for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and the permanent strengthening of economic ties between the two nations.

Mixed evidence for stress effects on cortisol-testosterone coupling in Syrian refugee and Jordanian non-refugee adolescents.

Climate migration has become a critical global issue, forcing millions of people to leave their homes due to environmental degradation, extreme weather, and slow-onset disasters like rising sea levels and prolonged droughts. In the same way as refugees fleeing war or economic crisis, climate migrants face life-threatening risks, even though their displacement is caused by environmental degradation, extreme weather, and climate-related disasters. This article explores the environmental causes of displacement, including deforestation, industrial pollution, global warming, and unsustainable farming practices, and highlights the extreme vulnerability of displaced populations in host countries, where legal protections are often limited or ambiguous. It also examines global migration patterns, particularly dangerous journeys to Europe, reviewing the international legal frameworks that protect migrants, such as refugee status and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Finally, the study outlines sustainable strategies, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, supporting these migrants in adapting to the impacts of climate change, and creating safe migration pathways, emphasizing the urgent need for global cooperation to address climate-related displacement.

This article examines the intersection of narrative space-time and human displacement through the lens of Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of the chronotope, using John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939) as its primary text. The analysis posits that Steinbeck transforms the quintessentially American road—specifically U.S. Highway 66—from a simple geographical setting into a complex chronotope that structures the experience of forced migration. By drawing on Bakhtin’s theory, this article argues that the road in The Grapes of Wrath functions not merely as a path for westward movement, but as a space where time is “thickened” and history is made tangible, fundamentally shaping the Joad family’s identity and their experience of dispossession. The analysis explores how the road chronotope becomes a crucible for community formation and ethical awakening, ultimately redefining the experience of displacement as a painful yet transformative suspension between a lost past and an uncertain future. It concludes that the chronotope of the road in The Grapes of Wrath serves as a critical narrative device for articulating the spatial and temporal disorientation inherent in the American refugee experience.

In recent years, Poland has faced unprecedented immigration pressure. In addition to the massive influx of war refugees from Ukraine, irregular migrants have challenged the Polish border control. During 2021, the first year of the crisis, the number of unauthorized border crossings made on the Polish-Belarusian border increased by 12.5 times. This led to significant changes in state border policy and border control practices locally implemented by the Border Guard (BG). The assessment of the reaction of the Polish authorities and the BG as a leading actor in this challenge aroused several controversies. Researching legal sources, official media releases and scholarly literature, I argue for a multilayered explanation of how the BG coped with this task. I examine this issue in light of the border control culture (BCC) concept, which makes it possible to embed border control practices in a broader cultural-normative context. I propose a more comprehensive approach to the BCC to show that the main actors in these processes, i.e. BG officers, operate in a specific work environment. It has three components: material, normative, and symbolic. This approach shows that changes in the material artefacts and legal norms referring to border control and ideas and views about the purpose and meaning of the border and the BG service are integral elements of the BCC and can stimulate BG officers to take the desired actions.