Mentor/s
Dr. Jonix Owino
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Refugees flee their home countries because of persecution and are resettled in countries such as the United States. The psychological trauma that refugees experience can impact their well-being. However, aging refugee experiences have been minimally explored through research. The main objective of this study was to achieve a better understanding of aging refugee experiences in regards to quality of life. We explored the relationship between sociodemographic and social connection factors with quality of life among aging refugees. There were a total of 108 participants (from Bhutan, Burundi, and Somalia), aged 50+, who completed a written questionnaire focusing on well-being scales. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze data. The findings showed that female participants, being older, and refugees from Africa reported lower quality of life. There were no significant relationships found between length-of-residence, employment status, and marital status with quality of life. There was a positive association between social integration and quality of life, suggesting a protective role of social connectedness in well-being. Loneliness was negatively associated with quality of life with a worse effect for female refugees. These results enhanced our understanding on how individual characteristics relate with quality of life and well-being among older refugees. The study’s findings are beneficial for host communities in developing interventions to cater to the needs of refugees in order to improve their quality of life and well-being.
College and Major available
Psychology BS
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-28-2023 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-28-2023 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Determinants of Quality of Life Among Refugees Aging Out of Place
Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons
Refugees flee their home countries because of persecution and are resettled in countries such as the United States. The psychological trauma that refugees experience can impact their well-being. However, aging refugee experiences have been minimally explored through research. The main objective of this study was to achieve a better understanding of aging refugee experiences in regards to quality of life. We explored the relationship between sociodemographic and social connection factors with quality of life among aging refugees. There were a total of 108 participants (from Bhutan, Burundi, and Somalia), aged 50+, who completed a written questionnaire focusing on well-being scales. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze data. The findings showed that female participants, being older, and refugees from Africa reported lower quality of life. There were no significant relationships found between length-of-residence, employment status, and marital status with quality of life. There was a positive association between social integration and quality of life, suggesting a protective role of social connectedness in well-being. Loneliness was negatively associated with quality of life with a worse effect for female refugees. These results enhanced our understanding on how individual characteristics relate with quality of life and well-being among older refugees. The study’s findings are beneficial for host communities in developing interventions to cater to the needs of refugees in order to improve their quality of life and well-being.
Students' Information
Rebecca Barakat, psychology major, 2023.
Nicole Sperling, psychology major, 2024.
Vaibhavi Siddhartha, psychology major, 2023.
Emily Gorski, psychology major, 2024.