Being Hopeful: Exploring the Dynamics of Post-traumatic Growth and Hope in Refugees

Abstract With more than 60 million people across the world displaced from their homes, the refugee crisis has been in the political limelight and prominent in academic conversations. With a focus on the salutogenic rather than the pathological effects of trauma, this research probed beyond refugees’ distressed psychological wellbeing by exploring contributory factors to refugees’ effective resettlement during the post-migration phase. In this small-scale study, participants were purposively selected. The mixed-methods approach led to the assessment of refugees’ post-traumatic growth and a qualitative investigation of their narrative writings on hope. Adopting a psychological lens, the article critically considers Charles Snyder’s theoretical framework on ‘hope’ and its tenets, namely ‘Goals’, ‘Pathways’, ‘Agency’, ‘Barriers’ and ‘Thoughts & Feelings’, by employing it freshly in a new context and extending the framework in light of refugees’ successful adaptation and integration into society. The research findings endorse the value of developing a hopeful disposition as key to refugees’ acculturation, empowerment and post-traumatic growth.