Challenges to Psychosocial Wellness

An evaluation of the psychological adaptation of our respondents takes into account the traditional measures of physical health, mental health, and life satisfaction. The theoretical frameworks described in Chapter 2 provide the context for this assessment. The ecosystems perspective elucidates the interrelationships of people with their environments; the stages of migration framework describes the temporal phases of prewar life, war experiences, displacement and transit, and resettlement; and the acculturation model tells us that refugees and host societies interact to influence strategies used by refugees in adapting to new environments. Our respondents' states of well-being are influenced by their prewar and postwar ecosystems and by factors encountered in various phases of migration. The psychological well-being of refugee families is also influenced by the degree of acculturative stress experienced in a new culture.