"God was with me": A qualitative study of Christian meaning-making among refugees.
Journal
Journal of traumatic stress
ISSN: 1573-6598
Titre abrégé: J Trauma Stress
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 8809259
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
29 Nov 2023
29 Nov 2023
Historique:
revised:
31
10
2023
received:
28
06
2023
accepted:
02
11
2023
medline:
29
11
2023
pubmed:
29
11
2023
entrez:
29
11
2023
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
In this consensual qualitative research study, we investigated the role of refugees' Christian faith in meaning-making coping. High percentages of religiosity in refugee populations support the need to understand the role of religion in their coping processes. Interviews with 20 Christian refugees from 10 African and Asian countries revealed that participants drew heavily from their faith resources to cope with their experiences. Specifically, refugees reported coping practices that included trust in God, prayer, intimacy with God, spiritual surrender, lament, worship, and social support. Although many participants described spiritual struggles, including doubting God, feeling distant from God, and questioning God, most found meaning amid refugee-related suffering and reported perspective shifts, a deepening of faith, seeing suffering as part of God's plan, experiencing a deepened sense of purpose, and growing in the likeness of Christ. Refugees also reported growth through suffering in the form of gratitude, altruism, testimony, and humility. Clinical implications include encouraging the use of religious resources for meaning-making and supporting the resolution of spiritual struggles.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Subventions
Organisme : John Templeton Foundation
ID : 451467
Informations de copyright
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Traumatic Stress published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
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