Psychological well-being and coping strategies among Rohingya refugee youth in Malaysia

Abstract

As countries experience conflict within their societies due to civil wars, internal conflicts or persecution by governments, innocent individuals suffer most to the extend they have to leave their home in search of secure livelihood. This study aims to explore and enrich the understanding of the psychological well-being and coping strategies among Rohingya refugee youth resettling in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Three research objectives that guided this study are; (a) to understand the psychological well-being of Rohingya refugees resettling in Malaysia (b) to find out the coping strategies used by Rohingya refugees in Malaysia (c) to examine the Islamic coping strategies used by Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. A case-study qualitative research approach was utilized using self-developed semi-structured interviews based on the literature review with 5 participants aged between 15 to 17 years old. The thematic content analysis was utilized to analyse the collected data. The findings revealed that in terms of autonomy, environmental mastery and positive relations with others, refugee youth have developed a sense of belonging and security, freedom of expression, a certain level of mastery in building friendships and explored their potential yet they face the discrimination and restriction which caused by the lack of an official identification documents. With regards to personal growth, self-acceptance and purpose in life, participants stated a clear vision of purpose with high motivation to achieve that, seeking consultation for the personal improvement and also acknowledging their roles and responsibilities. The findings on the coping strategies revealed that refugee youth have a low potential in developing a problem-focused coping strategy which explain the need to empower refugee youth with the practical and solution-oriented skills to deal with the challenges. Refugee youth’s one of the major ways to cope is through denial, mental and behavioural disengagement. Participants also mentioned instances whereby turning to religion and seeking social support for emotional reasons were used as the preferred coping strategy, likewise fear and hiding from harm was mentioned fear through the narrations of the challenging boat journeys. The study hoped to contribute to the psychological development of refugee youth and support them with the strong coping strategies. Therefore, the findings of the study are directly proportional to the literature and are sources for policymakers to help develop refugees’ social and psychological well-being with the host community.