Keywords
migration
young West Asian women
intersectionality
resilience
How to Cite
Abstract
Objectives: Trauma in migration is shaped by individual, social, and structural factors. Using an intersectional lens, this scoping review examines how trauma (i.e., as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; SAMHSA, 2014) is conceptualized in literature on young West Asian women in Western contexts. Given large-scale migration form West Asia over the past two decades, understanding these definitions is key to identifying gaps and informing resilience and recovery efforts.
Methods: Using Arksey and O'Malley’s (2005) five-stage framework, a scoping review was conducted. From 424 articles (post-duplicates), 112 were screened, and 15 met the inclusion criteria for final analysis.
Results: Trauma in migration is mainly defined as exposure to life-threatening events like war, persecution, or refugee camp conditions. Its impact is shaped by pre-existing (e.g., age, gender) and situational (e.g., discrimination, cultural dislocation) factors. Effects are typically framed clinically (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and somatization).
Conclusions: Trauma is often framed as isolated events, with little attention to ongoing, complex experiences. Lived experiences and broader impacts are overlooked, with a reliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) frameworks. Intersectionality and trauma specific to young West Asian migrant women is rarely addressed across all three Es of trauma: Event, Experience, and Effect. Recovery strategies lack tangible actions.
Implications: Future research could explore trauma’s complex nature. Centering the lived experiences of young West Asian migrant women through intersectional and mixed-methods approaches is essential. Policies must be trauma-informed, gender- and age-responsive, and address post-migration stressors. Interventions should be co-designed with the target population, culturally grounded, and attuned to systemic and relational dimensions of trauma.
References
Abdelhamid, S., Lindert, J., Fischer, J., & Steinisch, M. (2023). Negative and protective experiences influencing the well-being of refugee children resettling in Germany: A qualitative study. BMJ Open, 13(4), Article e067332. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067332
Abu-Kaf, S., Al-Said, K., & Braun-Lewensohn, O. (2021). Community coherence and acculturation strategies among refugee adolescents: How do they explain mental-health symptoms? Comprehensive Psychiatry, 106, Article 152227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152227
Ahmad, A., von Knorring, A. L., & Sundelin-Wahlsten, V. (2008). Traumatic experiences and post-traumatic stress disorder in Kurdistanian children and their parents in homeland and exile: An epidemiological approach. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 62(6), 457-463. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039480801984305
Arenliu, A., Saad, R., Abdulaziz, H., Bertelsen, N., & Weine, S. M. (2020). War and displacement stressors and coping mechanisms of Syrian urban refugee families living in Istanbul. Journal of Family Psychology, 34(4), 392-401. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000603
Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616
Arsenijević, J., Schillberg, E., Ponthieu, A., Malvisi, L., Ahmed, W. A. E., Argenziano, S., Zamatto, F., Burroughs, S., Severy, N., Hebting, C., De Vingne, B., Harries, A. D., & Zachariah, R. (2017). A crisis of protection and safe passage: violence experienced by migrants/refugees travelling along the Western Balkan corridor to Northern Europe. Conflict and Health, 11(1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-017-0107-z
Atrooz, F., Chen, T. A., Biekman, B., Alrousan, G., Bick, J., & Salim, S. (2022). Displacement and Isolation: Insights from a mental stress survey of Syrian refugees in Houston, Texas, USA. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), Article 2547. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052547
Bohland, H. K., Kimbel, R., Kegel, P., Dietz, P., Koestner, C., Letzel, S., Kurmeyer, C., Jesuthasan, J., Schouler-Ocak, M., & Zier, U. (2024). Depression and anxiety in female refugees from East Africa and the Middle East displaced to Germany: Cross-sectional results of the female refugee study, taking sociodemographic and migration-related factors into account. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, Article 1303009. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1303009
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brooks, M. A., Dasgupta, A., Khadra, M., Bawaneh, A., Kaushal, N., & El-Bassel, N. (2024). Suicidal behaviors among refugee women in Jordan: Post-traumatic stress disorder, social support and post-displacement stressors. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article 2677. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20128-1
Brooks, K., Finley, C., Toscano, E., & Willis, D. (2022). Women and migration(s) II. Open Book Publishers. https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0296
Brooks, M. A., Meinhart, M., Samawi, L., Mukherjee, T., Jaber, R., Alhomsh, H., Kaushal, N., Al Qutob, R., Khadra, M., El-Bassel, N., & Dasgupta, A. (2022). Mental health of clinic-attending Syrian refugee women in Jordan: Associations between social ecological risks factors and mental health symptoms. BMC Women's Health, 22(1), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01584-y
Bruhn, M., Rees, S., Mohsin, M., Silove, D., & Carlsson, J. (2018). The range and impact of postmigration stressors during treatment of trauma-affected refugees. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 206(1), 61-68. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000774
Bulut, E., & Brewster, K. L. (2021). Psychological distress in Middle Eastern immigrants to the United States: A challenge to the healthy migrant model? Social Science & Medicine, 274, Article 113765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113765
Bürgin, D., Anagnostopoulos, D., Vitiello, B., Sukale, T., Schmid, M., & Fegert, J. M. (2022). Impact of war and forced displacement on children’s mental health—Multilevel, needs-oriented, and trauma-informed approaches. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(6), 845-853. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-01974-z
Canadian Centre for Housing Rights. (2022). “Sorry, it’s rented”: Measuring discrimination against newcomers in Toronto’s rental housing market. Canadian Centre for Housing Rights. https://housingrightscanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CCHR-Sorry-its-rented-Discrimination-Audit-2022.pdf
Chung, M. C., Shakra, M., AlQarni, N., AlMazrouei, M., Al Mazrouei, S., & Al Hashimi, S. (2018). Posttraumatic stress among Syrian refugees: Trauma exposure characteristics, trauma centrality, and emotional suppression. Psychiatry, 81(1), 54-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.2017.1354620
Commonwealth Secretariat. (2021). Global youth development index and report 2020. Commonwealth Secretariat. https://thecommonwealth.org/innovation/youth-development-index
Correa-Salazar, C., Page, K., & Martínez-Donate, A. (2023). The migration risk environment: Challenges to human security for Venezuelan migrant and refugee women and girls pre- and post-migration to Colombia. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 11(2), 175-193. https://doi.org/10.1177/23315024231162356
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), Article 8, 139-167. https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241-1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039
Emery, E. H., Maju, M., Coursey, K., Brandt, C., Ko, J. S., Hampton, K., & Richards, A. (2022). Trauma exposures, resilience factors, and mental health outcomes in persons granted asylum in the U.S. for claims related to domestic violence and persecution by organized gangs. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 24(4), 918-927. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-021-01324-2
Ferrer, A., & Dhatt, S. S. (n.d.). Labour market barriers faced by highly educated racialized newcomer women in Canada. Women, Work, and the Economy Research Group. https://uwaterloo.ca/women-work-and-the-economy/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/labour-market-barriers-faced-by-highly-educated-racialized-newcomer-women-in-canada-by-ana-ferrer-and-sumeet-singh-dhatt.pdf
Georgiadou, E., Morawa, E., & Erim, Y. (2017). High manifestations of mental distress in Arabic asylum seekers accommodated in collective centers for refugees in Germany. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(6), Article 612. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14060612
Gerdau, I., Kizilhan, J. I., & Noll-Hussong, M. (2017). Posttraumatic stress disorder and related disorders among female Yazidi refugees following Islamic state of Iraq and Syria Attacks – A case series and mini-review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8, Article 282. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00282
Global Migration Data Analysis Centre. (2024, June 20). Forced migration or displacement. Global Migration Data Portal. https://www.migrationdataportal.org/themes/forced-migration-or-displacement
Hamburger, A., Hancheva, C., & Ozcurumez, S. (2019). Forced migration and social trauma: Interdisciplinary perspectives from psychoanalysis, psychology, sociology and politics. Routledge.
Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—From domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books.
Hosseini, Z., Bakdash, T., Ahmad, S., & Awaad, R. (2023). Predictors of depression among Syrian refugee women: A socio-culturally relevant analysis. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 69(5), 1223-1230. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640231155810
House of Commons, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. (2024, October). Enduring and overcoming: The struggle of the Hazaras in Afghanistan (27th report, 44th Parliament, 1st Session). House of Commons. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/FAAE/Reports/RP13256076/faaerp27/faaerp27-e.pdf
Jesuthasan, J., Sönmez, E., Abels, I., Kurmeyer, C., Gutermann, J., Kimbel, R., Krüger, A., Niklewski, G., Richter, K., Stangier, U., Wollny, A., Zier, U., Oertelt-Prigione, S., Shouler-Ocak, M., & Female Refugee Study (FRS) Investigators (2018). Near-death experiences, attacks by family members, and absence of health care in their home countries affect the quality of life of refugee women in Germany: A multi-region, cross-sectional, gender-sensitive study. BMC Medicine, 16(1), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-1003-5
Jore, T., Oppedal, B., & Biele, G. (2020). Social anxiety among unaccompanied minor refugees in Norway. The association with pre-migration trauma and post-migration acculturation related factors. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 136, Article 110175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110175
Khamis, V. (2023). Difficulties in emotion regulation among Syrian refugee girls: Risk and protective factors. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 93(2), 156-165. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000665
Kliewer, W., Kheirallah, K. A., Cobb, C. O., Alsulaiman, J. W., Mzayek, F., & Jaddou, H. (2021). Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms among Syrian refugee youth in Jordan: Social support and gender as moderators. International Journal of Psychology, 56(2), 199-207. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12695
Klugman, J. (2022). The gender dimensions of forced displacement: A synthesis of new research. World Bank Group. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/895601643214591612/pdf/The-Gender-Dimensions-of-Forced-Displacement-A-Synthesis-of-New-Research.pdf
Lipsicas, C. B., & Mäkinen, I. H. (2010). Immigration and suicidality in the young. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(5), 274-281. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371005500502
McAuliffe, M., & Oucho, L. A. (Eds.). (2024). World migration report 2024. International Organization for Migration. https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2024
Meyer, C., Alhaddad, L., Stammel, N., Sixtus, F., Wesche, J. S., Kerschreiter, R., Kanngiesser, P., & Knaevelsrud, C. (2023). With a little help from my friends? Acculturation and mental health in Arabic-speaking refugee youth living with their families. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, Article 1130199. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1130199
Miller, J. (2023). Psychosocial responses to sociopolitical targeting, oppression and violence: Challenges for helping professionals. Routledge.
Mohammadi, G. H. (2024, January 24). The plight of Hazaras under the Taliban government. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/the-plight-of-hazaras-under-the-taliban-government/
Montgomery, E. (2008). Long-term effects of organized violence on young Middle Eastern refugees’ mental health. Social Science and Medicine, 67(10), 1596-1603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.07.020
Müller, L. R. F., Büter, K. P., Rosner, R., & Unterhitzenberger, J. (2019). Mental health and associated stress factors in accompanied and unaccompanied refugee minors resettled in Germany: A cross-sectional study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 13(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-019-0268-1
Müller, L. R. F., Gossmann, K., Hartmann, F., Büter, K. P., Rosner, R., & Unterhitzenberger, J. (2019). 1-year follow-up of the mental health and stress factors in asylum-seeking children and adolescents resettled in Germany. BMC Public Health, 19(1), Article 908. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7263-6
Nesterko, Y., Jäckle, D., Friedrich, M., Holzapfel, L., & Glaesmer, H. (2019). Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and somatisation in recently arrived refugees in Germany: An epidemiological study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 29, Article e40. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796019000325
Otten, C. (2022, October 4). Iraqi doctor provides care and comfort to Yazidi survivors. UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/iraqi-doctor-provides-care-and-comfort-yazidi-survivors
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., McGuinness, L. A., Stea=wart, L. A., Thomas, J., Tricco, A. C., Welch, V. A., Whiting, P., & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, Article n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2017). The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrist's notebook — What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing. Basic Books.
Perry, B. D., & Winfrey, O. (2021). What happened to you? Conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing (1st ed.). Flatiron Books.
Psychotherapy.net LLC. (Director). (2018). Bessel van der Kolk on understanding trauma [Film]. Kanopy. https://www.kanopy.com/product/bessel-van-der-kolk-understanding-trauma
Qurban-Ali, D., & Scott, H. (2020, July 24). Persecution and perseverance: Survival stories from the Hazara community. UNHCR Canada. https://www.unhcr.ca/news/persecution-perseverance-survival-stories-hazara-community/
Rahim, H. F., Mooren, T. T. M., Knipscheer, J. W., van den Brink, F., Chung, J. M., Laceulle, O. M., & Boelen, P. A. (2023). Associations among migration risk factors, cultural identity conflict, and psychological symptoms among Syrian emerging adults with refugee backgrounds in the Netherlands. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 79(5), 1434-1451. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23492
Renner, A., Jäckle, D., Nagl, M., Hoffmann, R., Röhr, S., Jung, F., Grochtdreis, T., Dams, J., König, H. H., Riedel-Heller, S., & Kersting, A. (2021). Predictors of psychological distress in Syrian refugees with posttraumatic stress in Germany. PLoS ONE, 16, Article e0254406. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254406
Roupetz, S., Bartels, S. A., Saja, M., Najjarnejad, N., Anderson, K., & Davison, C. (2020). Displacement and emotional well-being among married and unmarried Syrian adolescent girls in Lebanon: An analysis of narratives. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), Article 4543. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124543
SAMHSA. (2014). Concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma14-4884.pdf
Sapmaz, Ş. Y., Tanrıverdi, B. U., Öztürk, M., Gözaçanlar, Ö., Ülker, G. Y., & Özkan, Y. (2017). Immigration-related mental health disorders in refugees 5-18 years old living in Turkey. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 13, 2813-2821. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S150592
Schouler-Ocak, M. (Ed.). (2015). Trauma and migration: Cultural factors in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatized immigrants (1st ed.). Springer International Publishing.
Seglem, K. B., Oppedal, B., & Raeder, S. (2011). Predictors of depressive symptoms among resettled unaccompanied refugee minors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 52(5), 457-464. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2011.00883.x
Sengoelge, M., Johnson-Singh, C. M., Mittendorfer-Rutz, E., Vaez, M., & Saboonchi, F. (2019). Identifying subgroups of refugees from Syria resettled in Sweden based on multiple trauma exposures: A latent class analysis of trauma history and mental health outcomes. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 125, Article 109814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2019.109814
Solberg, Ø., Vaez, M., Johnson-Singh, C. M., & Saboonchi, F. (2020). Asylum-seekers' psychosocial situation: A diathesis for post-migratory stress and mental health disorders? Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 130, Article 109914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2019.109914
Statistics Canada. (2017). Census profile, 2016 Census—Canada [country] and Canada [country]. Statistics Canada. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=01&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Ethnic%20origin&TABID=3&type=0
Theofanidis, D., Karavasileiadou, S., & Almegewly, W. H. (2022). Post-traumatic stress disorder among Syrian refugees in Greece. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, Article 911642. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.911642
Trentacosta, C. J., McLear, C. M., Ziadni, M. S., Lumley, M. A., & Arfken, C. L. (2016). Potentially traumatic events and mental health problems among children of Iraqi refugees: The roles of relationships with parents and feelings about school. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 86(4), 384-392. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000186
UNESCO. (2021). Migrants, refugees, or displaced persons? UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/migrants-refugees-or-displaced-persons
Ungar, M. (Ed.). (2012). The social ecology of resilience: A handbook of theory and practice. Springer Science + Business Media.
UNHCR. (2013). A global review: UNHCR’s engagement with displaced youth. UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/legacy-pdf/513f37bb9.pdf
UNHCR. (2023). Global trends: Forced displacement in 2022. UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2022
UNHCR. (2025a). Internally displaced people. UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency – USA. https://www.unhcr.org/us/about-unhcr/who-we-protect/internally-displaced-people
UNHCR. (2025b). Syria situation. UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency – Global Focus. https://reporting.unhcr.org/operational/situations/syria-situation
United Nations. (2025). International migrant stock 2024: Key facts and figures. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2024(13). https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/undesa_pd_2025_intlmigstock_2024_key_facts_and_figures_advance-unedited.pdf
Veeser, J., Barkmann, C., Schumacher, L., Zindler, A., Schön, G., & Barthel, D. (2023). Post-traumatic stress disorder in refugee minors in an outpatient care center: Prevalence and associated factors. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32(3), 419-426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01866-8