Psychological Distress and Discrimination Experiences of Muslim Refugees during the Trump Era

Background: Although there is an increasing trend in forcibly displaced populations globally, psychosocial needs of the population are not sufficiently identified and met. After 2017, during the Trump Administration, research agendas and programs concerning refugees experienced drastic federal budget cuts in the U.S. as a result of discriminative macro practices particularly towards Muslim refugees. These attitudes took place because of a perceived security threat, foreign policy issues, and ideologies (e.g., travel ban for seven Muslim majority countries). This study aimed to explore everyday lived experiences of Muslim refugees and psychosocial consequences of discriminative policies during the Trump era. The study is informed by the intersectionality framework, which enabled us to better understand the complexities of Muslim refugees’ intersecting identities.

Methods:In this cross-sectional study, data were collected using snowball and purposive sampling methods to locate the population. Measures of discrimination, health, distress, integration, and post-migration living difficulties (PMLD) were used. The scales were administered in Arabic. The study consisted of Syrian and Iraqi refugee men and women who were 18 years of age and older (N=26). This study was broadly informed by the following research questions: How do changes in refugee policies during Trump-era influence the lived experiences of Muslim refugees? What are the psychosocial consequences of these policies for refugees? Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to understand the associations between variables and to describe the experiences of refugees.

Results:The majority of the participants were women (65.4%). Around two thirds settled in the USA before 2017. 61.5% reported having high school or higher degree and 58% indicated having attended a language class. About 40% of the participants reported moderately well English language skills. Most participants have little contact with members of the U.S. society 46.2% reported that they had contact with only 1 to 2 Americans during the last 4 weeks. 72% indicated their intention to live in the United States in future. Participants described very few discrimination experiences on the discrimination scale, with more than half of the participants reporting high distress. Psychological distress was highly correlated with self-reported physical health (r=.69, p <.001) and moderately correlated with discrimination (r=.40, p=.047). Most experienced PMLDs included poor access to dental care, inability to return to home country in an emergency, communication difficulties, and poor access to counseling services.

Implications: Despite the anti-refugee discourse during the Trump era, reported experiences of discrimination were not high. Refugees may face discrimination, but they may think their quality of life in the U.S. is better off compared with the one back home or they do not feel comfortable openly reporting negative experiences. Since basic needs and employment are a priority for refugees when they resettle in a new country, they may ignore discrimination given that many forms can also be subtle. Regardless of the level of discrimination, the current sample experienced distress, health, communication, and social issues. However, the access to services is not sufficient. Reforms in refugee policies and programs can improve their wellbeing and help them build personal capacity and increased consciousness.