Forced Displacement and Parent-Child

Relationship:
Effects of Trauma on Refugee and
Asylum-Seeking Families
DIANA ULIVANOVA
ENGL 21003-K
About Me:

 My name is Diana Ulivanova

 I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in
Computer Science.
 I am unsure of how I will apply my major in
the future but currently I work in an office.
 Fun Fact: I am 15 years older than my
brother!
Millions Forced to Flee

 Armed conflicts in Middle East, Asia, and

Latin America have produced the
unimaginable number of 82.4 million refugees
as of 2021, meaning that “1 in every 95
people on earth has fled their home as a result
of conflict or persecution” (UNHCR).
 Does not account for Russia-Ukraine War and
its 5.9 million refugees
Research Question and Thesis

 While the adults must invest every ounce of their energy into facing any hurdle head-on
while also attempting to deal with their trauma, what happens to their children, who
account for nearly 42% of all refugees and asylum-seekers?
 As refugee parents endure the mental toll of surviving wars, torture, and forceful
displacement, their parent-child relationship suffers because their children feel neglected,
abandoned, and abused yet continue to cling to their families nonetheless as it is their only
anchor and support system in an unfamiliar country.
Attachment Styles
Haene’s Experiment

 18 children, ages 4-9, participated in the

Attachment Story Completion Task.
 8 fled their home countries with their parents
while the other 10 were born after their families
settled in Denmark and started seeking therapy.
 Results: Majority of the children in the first group
had an insecure-bizarre attachment to their
parents.
Van Ee’s Study

 Parents with unresolved PTSD throw themselves into the hustle and bustle of the new country to try
to forget and avoid any thought of the past life and trauma associated with it.
 59.4% of parents experienced PTSD symptoms after the severe trauma and past near-death
experiences, and 57.4% of children were insecurely attached to their parents (van Ee et al. 281).
 Some parents were so withdrawn into themselves, they grew increasingly indifferent to their
child’s needs while others could not handle allowing their children autonomy and were
incredibly strict and over-protective (van Ee el al. 285).
 Johansen and Varvin’s Interview

 They wanted to bring to light the long-term

impact of forced displacement and how it is
exhibited in children after they grow up and
build their own life in the new country.
 Many chose to stay away for most of the
time; many also recall feeling unloved but
having to suppress those needs; many also try
to make sense of the domestic violence they
were subjected to (Johansen & Varvin 227-
232).
 Solution: More Parent-Child Therapy
Opportunities for Immigrants

 Most studies agree that unresolved parental

trauma is likely to ruin the parent-child
relationship in the family.
 Programs that are well-known, accommodating,
and accessible.
 Therapy that manages the parents’ PTSD
symptoms and that repairs/creates a more
secure bond between parents and their children.
Works Cited

 De Haene, Lucia et al. “Attachment narratives in refugee children: interrater reliability

and qualitative analysis in pilot findings from a two-site study.” Journal of traumatic
stress vol. 26,3 (2013): 413-7. doi:10.1002/jts.21820
 Johansen, Jennifer Drummond, and Sverre Varvin. “I Tell My Mother That … Sometimes
He Didn’t Love Us–Young Adults’ Experiences of Childhood in Refugee Families: A
Qualitative Approach.” Childhood, vol. 26, no. 2, May 2019, pp. 221–235,
doi:10.1177/0907568219828804.
 van Ee, Elisa et al. “Parental PTSD, adverse parenting and child attachment in a refugee
sample.” Attachment & human development vol. 18,3 (2016): 273-91.
doi:10.1080/14616734.2016.1148748
 UNHCR. Figures at a Glance. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2021).