Psychological health of Afghan refugees: A narrative review of key factors in pre-migration and post-migration

Abstract

Afghanistan remains a hotspot for civil and international conflict for the last several decades. After the sociopolitical situation worsened with the 2021 Taliban governmental takeover, many Afghan refugees and asylum seekers have experienced extreme violence and death, food insecurity, political-economic instability, and oppression because of the prolonged crises in their home country. These stressors cause many refugees to experience high levels of psychosocial distress that affect them even after successful resettlement. Various host countries attempt to remedy their distress by providing refugees social and economic support, such as welfare provisions. These resources are often costly and provided on a needs-based scale, yet how is need determined or defined? Applying a qualitative narrative review of top-cited literature, this study assesses key factors that can predict psychological distress by identifying the correlation and relationship between pre-migration traumas, post-migration stressors, and demographic categories. The results indicate that culture shock and difficulty adapting to the host country, particularly in the West, are the most notable factors in determining psychological distress in Afghan refugees fleeing the New Taliban regime.