Resilience among refugee mothers: scoping review of promotion and hindrance factors

Background Refugee mothers represent a significant proportion of the migrant population worldwide. Their resilience has important implications for their health and the positive adjustment of their family units. However, refugee mothers have received little attention in research. Aims This review provides an overview of factors that may promote or hinder resilience among refugee mothers and a foundation for identifying potential targets for clinical and policy interventions. Method A scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) reporting guidelines, using pre-defined criteria and a relevant search strategy on four databases: Web of Science Core Collection, APA PsycINFO, Ovid Medline, and Ovid Embase Classic+Embase. Study characteristics and data on resilience promotion and hindrance factors were extracted, and results were narratively synthesised. Results Five articles met our inclusion criteria. Four studies described resilience promotion factors, and two studies described resilience hindrance factors. External (social or instrumental, community or professional, economic, and cultural) and internal (individual or psychological, and spiritual or religious) resilience resources were perceived as important for building resilience among refugee mothers. Conclusions The most recurrent resilience promotion factors related to possessing strong social networks and instrumental support, while the most recurrent resilience hindrance factors related to community and professional stressors, such as accessing healthcare. These findings serve as a first step towards identifying potential clinical and policy intervention targets to strengthen resilience in refugee mothers – a vulnerable and currently under-studied population. This review can provide a guide for policymakers, health professionals, refugee charities and local communities in prioritising the efforts to address refugee mothers’ needs.