Association between unmet post-arrival expectations and psychological symptoms in recently arrived refugees

Allinson, C; Berle, D

Association between unmet post-arrival expectations and psychological symptoms in recently arrived refugees

Allinson, C Berle, D

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Publisher:: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: TRANSCULTURAL PSYCHIATRY, 2023, 60, (1), pp. 39-51
Issue Date:: 2023

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Allinson, C
dc.contributor.author	Berle, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4861-2220
dc.date.accessioned	2023-09-14T01:51:42Z
dc.date.available	2023-09-14T01:51:42Z
dc.date.issued	2023
dc.identifier.citation	TRANSCULTURAL PSYCHIATRY, 2023, 60, (1), pp. 39-51
dc.identifier.issn	1363-4615
dc.identifier.issn	1461-7471
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172090
dc.description.abstract	Thwarted expectations regarding one's post-settlement life may challenge the mental health of refugees. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between pre-arrival expectations and the course of psychological symptoms across time. A secondary analysis of 1,496 principal visa applicants across five waves of the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study was conducted. The cross-sectional associations between expectations on the one hand, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD-8) symptoms and psychological distress (Kessler-6; K6) on the other, were assessed using multiple regression. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify discrete symptom trajectories of psychological symptoms across five years following settlement, and multinomial regressions were used to determine if violated expectations predicted membership of identified PTSD-8 and K6 class trajectories. LCGA supported a four-class solution for the PTSD-8 Resilient Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) (54.1%), Improving PTS (15.0%), Deteriorating PTS (17.3%), and Persistently High PTS (13.6%). For the K6, three classes were identified: Persistently Mild K6 (60.4%), Resilient K6 (9.4%), and Persistently High K6 (30.2%). Thwarted expectations were found to significantly predict membership of less favourable symptom trajectories classes in the context of other established predictors. Post-settlement expectations may thus have weak but unique predictive value for the course of psychological symptoms alongside other factors such as older age and financial stress. Implications of these findings for service provision and policy are discussed.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	TRANSCULTURAL PSYCHIATRY
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/13634615221111022
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1103 Clinical Sciences, 1117 Public Health and Health Services
dc.subject.classification	Psychiatry
dc.subject.classification	3202 Clinical sciences
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
dc.subject.mesh	Refugees
dc.subject.mesh	Cross-Sectional Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Motivation
dc.subject.mesh	Mental Health
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Cross-Sectional Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Motivation
dc.subject.mesh	Mental Health
dc.subject.mesh	Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
dc.subject.mesh	Refugees
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
dc.subject.mesh	Refugees
dc.subject.mesh	Cross-Sectional Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Motivation
dc.subject.mesh	Mental Health
dc.title	Association between unmet post-arrival expectations and psychological symptoms in recently arrived refugees
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	60
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	1103 Clinical Sciences
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2023-09-14T01:51:41Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	60
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

Thwarted expectations regarding one's post-settlement life may challenge the mental health of refugees. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between pre-arrival expectations and the course of psychological symptoms across time. A secondary analysis of 1,496 principal visa applicants across five waves of the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study was conducted. The cross-sectional associations between expectations on the one hand, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD-8) symptoms and psychological distress (Kessler-6; K6) on the other, were assessed using multiple regression. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify discrete symptom trajectories of psychological symptoms across five years following settlement, and multinomial regressions were used to determine if violated expectations predicted membership of identified PTSD-8 and K6 class trajectories. LCGA supported a four-class solution for the PTSD-8 Resilient Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) (54.1%), Improving PTS (15.0%), Deteriorating PTS (17.3%), and Persistently High PTS (13.6%). For the K6, three classes were identified: Persistently Mild K6 (60.4%), Resilient K6 (9.4%), and Persistently High K6 (30.2%). Thwarted expectations were found to significantly predict membership of less favourable symptom trajectories classes in the context of other established predictors. Post-settlement expectations may thus have weak but unique predictive value for the course of psychological symptoms alongside other factors such as older age and financial stress. Implications of these findings for service provision and policy are discussed.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172090