"If One Does Not Fulfil His Duties, He Must Not Be a Man": Masculinity, Mental Health and Resilience Amongst Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee Men in Canada

Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry
William AffleckRob Whitley

Abstract

Refugee men face unique mental health stressors in the pre- and post-migratory periods. However, there has been little in-depth research on the mental health of refugee men in Canada. Given this situation, the overall aim of this study is to explore the psycho-social experience of Sri Lankan Tamil refugee men in Canada. Particular objectives include better understanding any inter-relationship between war-trauma, migration, concepts of masculinity and mental health. The study employed a two-phase participatory action research design based on the grounded theory approach. Phase 1 involved an 8-month ethnography conducted in Sri Lanka. Phase 2 consisted of qualitative interviews with 33 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee men living in Canada. Consistent with grounded theory, analysis was conducted inductively and iteratively. Four specific themes emerged from the data (i) gendered helplessness of war: participants commonly reported ongoing negative rumination regarding experiences where they were unable to adequately protect loved ones from physical suffering or death; (ii) reduced capacity: participants frequently felt unable to fulfill culturally sanctioned duties, such as supporting their family, due to ongoing pre- and post-migratory st...Continue Reading

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Apr 21, 2018·Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie·William AffleckRob Whitley

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Citations

Nov 20, 2019·Global Public Health·Chidimma B Aham-ChiabuotuLee Thompson
Oct 21, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Chloe ZivotMatthew Little
Mar 25, 2021·Transcultural Psychiatry·William AffleckDevon Hinton

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