A conceptual study on the relationship between daily stressors, stressful life events, and mental health in refugees using network analysis

Malte Behrendt; Marianne Vervliet; Marina Rota; Sarah Adeyinka; Océane Uzureau; Andrew Rasmussen; Heide Glaesmer; Ine Lietaert; Ilse Derluyn

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134667

A conceptual study on the relationship between daily stressors, stressful life events, and mental health in refugees using network analysis

Front Psychol. 2023 Aug 3:14:1134667. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134667. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Malte Behrendt¹, Marianne Vervliet², Marina Rota¹, Sarah Adeyinka¹, Océane Uzureau¹, Andrew Rasmussen³, Heide Glaesmer⁴, Ine Lietaert^{1

5}, Ilse Derluyn¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² Department of People and Well-Being, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Mechelen, Belgium.
³ Culture, Migration, and Community, Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, United States.
⁴ Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Medical Faculty, The University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
⁵ Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies, United Nations University, Bruges, Belgium.

Abstract

Introduction: There is growing recognition that daily stressors, such as social and material deficiencies, can be highly detrimental to the mental health of refugees. These stressors are in addition to stressful life events, which have been widely studied in the context of migration and forced displacement. Despite increasing evidence for an ecological model, there is still no consensus regarding the conceptualization of these highly influential factors. In particular, the demarcation of daily stressors from stressful life events and the categorization of daily stressors require further examination in order to develop usable and accurate tools for researchers, design effective interventions for practitioners and assist politicians in designing meaningful policies.

Methods: To address these challenges, we used data from a sample of 392 unaccompanied young refugees from diverse backgrounds and employed network analysis to examine the relationships between daily stressors, stressful life events, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.

Results: Our findings highlight the significant relationship between daily stressors and mental health, particularly depression. Meaningful clusters of daily stressors include material stressors, social stressors, and social exclusion stressors.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the importance of considering daily stressors in the mental health of refugees and suggest that using a network approach offers a viable way to study these complex interrelationships. These findings have implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in understanding and addressing the mental health needs of refugees.

Keywords: daily stressors; ecological model; mental health; migration; network analysis; refugees; stressful life events; trauma.