Stress, Coping, and Religiosity among Recent Syrian Refugees in Canada

As of November 2015, 34 696 Syrian refugees have resettled in Canada (Government of Canada, 2016). Previous studies with refugee populations have found: a) depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder resulting from trauma in their country of origin; and b) problems with discrimination and Islamophobia in new host cultures. Thus, coping strategies have been crucial for refugees to thrive in their new host countries. The current study conducted qualitative interviews with 10 recently arrived Muslim, Arab, Syrian refugees in Windsor, Ontario. The interviews explored participants’ preand post-arrival experiences in Syria and Canada. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach, into themes that emerged from refugees' lived experiences. Themes were organized based on the Transactional Model of Cultural Stress and Coping (Chun, Moos, & Cronkite, 2006). The results revealed superordinate themes that corresponded to each of the panels within the theoretical framework. The superordinate themes included 1) pre-migration stress and trauma; 2) identity assertion; 3) post-migration stressors; 4) religious and collective coping; and 5) positive outcomes and well-being in Canada. Pre-migration stress and trauma entailed fear for safety of family members, discrimination from citizens of neighbouring countries, and financial instability. Through enduring adversity, Syrian refugees asserted cultural and religious identities as well as their gender identities. Post-migration experiences included stressors in the form of acculturative stress, discrimination, financial burden, and survivor’s guilt and loss. To cope, Syrian refugee participants reported the use of religious coping and collective coping strategies to ultimately achieve positive outcomes and hopeful outlooks for their future in Canada. The findings expanded on existing literature on stress and coping, and illuminated the importance of the cultural and religious contexts of Muslim Syrian refugees in Canada. STRESS AND COPING AMONG SYRIAN REFUGEES v DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my parents, who have instilled in me a love of learning and stood as my pillars of strength and encouragement as I embarked on this journey. To my brother, for carving out every path and for giving me something to aspire to. To my husband, the coolness of my eyes, for your patience and unconditional love and support. Thank you. Ultimately, I dedicate this thesis to Allah. May He accept this project from me as a devotion for His sake. STRESS AND COPING AMONG SYRIAN REFUGEES vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supportive committee members, Dr. Suzanne McMurphy, Dr. Julie Hakim-Larson, and Dr. Catherine Kwantes, and to my advisor, Dr. Ben Kuo for all offering guidance and insight that was essential to shaping my research. I would like to thank Dr. Kendall Soucie for providing resources and consultation on how to navigate this qualitative undertaking. I am immensely appreciative for my research assistant, Zoha Salam, who has contributed countless hours as my coder and confidant throughout this project. I would like to acknowledge Monira for her help with translation. I am so grateful to Riham for all of her help and dedication during the recruitment process. I am also grateful to Jinan, my interpreter, for so sensitively and skillfully being (literally) by my side through each interview, for being my voice, and for giving voice to the participants. Most of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my participants. Thank you for sharing your stories, your pain, your sorrow, and your joys with me. STRESS AND COPING AMONG SYRIAN REFUGEES vii TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHOR’S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY.iii ABSTRACT.iv DEDICATION.v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.vi CHAPTER I .