AUTHOR=Brea Larios Dixie , Sam David L. , Sandal Gro Mjeldheim 

TITLE=Psychological distress among Afghan refugees in Norway as a function of their integration

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1143681

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1143681

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Often, refugees are susceptible to mental health problems due to adversities experienced before, during, and after the flight. Through a cross-sectional study, the present study examines the relationship between different aspects of integration and psychological distress among Afghans living in Norway.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>The participants were recruited through e-mail invitations, refugee-related organizations, and social media platforms. The participants (<italic>N</italic> = 114) answered questions about integration across multiple dimensions (psychological, social, navigational, economic, and linguistic) in line with the Immigration Policy Lab index (IPL -12/24). Hopkins symptoms checklist (HSCL-25) was used to assess psychological distress.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Based on hierarchical multiple regression analysis, both the psychological dimension (0.269 <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01) and the navigational dimension (0.358 <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) of integration predicted psychological distress.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion/Conclusion</title><p>The results suggest that the psychological aspects of integration, such as being part of a community, having feelings of security, and a sense of belonging, are beneficial for the mental health and well-being of the Afghans in Norway and contribute further to other aspects of integration.</p></sec>