Longitudinal Research to Promote Effective Refugee Resettlement

Abstract

Canada's relative generosity in admitting refugees and fairness in considering refugee claims has earned this country an enviable reputation. However, having opened its doors to those selected, Canada's resettlement policies and programs fail to provide for their needs, and to promote their optimal adaptation. Based on a decade-long investigation of the resettlement of more than 1300 Southeast Asian refugee – ‘Boat People’ – the current report examines how research concerning (a) the impact of pre-migration trauma; (b) the mental health impact of social resources such as the like-ethnic community, refugee sponsorship programs, and language training; and (c) individual coping strategies such as suppressing the past, can contribute both to theory and to improving policy and practice. The presentation acknowledges the contributions of Dr. Alexander H. Leighton by demonstrating the importance of his insistence on the need for a longitudinal perspective both for conducting research and for planning programs and services.