Parenting experiences of forced migrants, psychological resilience and recommendations for newcomers

Forced migration, which is a current problem throughout the world, has reflections on Turkey in various fields such as social, political and economic. This study aims to examine the parenting experiences of forced migrants during the settlement process and how their psychological resilience is shaped in this process and to get their suggestions for newly arrived parents. The study was conducted with 20 Syrian parents (14 women, 6 men) aged 23-52 years living in Şanlıurfa. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview technique with consecutive translation support. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. In this context, 4 themes, 17 categories, and 34 subcategories were reached. When the psychological resilience and coping skills of the parents were analyzed, it was seen that the source was based on internal and external protective factors. These were diversified as religion, emotion regulation skills, acculturation; having children, family integrity, social support mechanism, being guided in the settlement process, similar language and religious beliefs, and employment. With leaving home behind and settling in, parents have entered a challenging period with risks for their psychological resilience. It is observed that longing for family ties increased and they frequently experienced various emotional difficulties and obstacles. The parenting approaches of the participants were reshaped with the settlement process. The parents prioritised the integration of their children and acted as a bridge between two cultures for their children. Their emphasis on children's education, psychosocial development, acculturation, language skills and building good relationships with them made the forced migrants parents proud of themselves. Finally, parents gave some suggestions to the newcomers. Based on the suggestions of the parents and the results of the study, recommendations for further research in this field, for practitioners and legislators are discussed.