Mental health in asylum-seeking parents: Dynamics of fragmentation, resilience, and empowerment.

Abstract

Asylum-seeking populations face a disproportionate burden of adverse mental health outcomes, yet empirical evidence on the factors that promote resilience and empowerment within these communities remain limited. This exploratory qualitative study examined the lived experiences of asylum-seeking parents through the lens of the family resilience model. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 low-income Eritrean asylum-seeking parents in Israel, aged 25-40, most of whom resided in two-parent households. Data were analyzed, and themes were derived inductively using constructivist grounded theory principles, with the family resilience model serving as an orienting framework rather than a deductive coding scheme. Findings indicate that disruptions in the normal life continuum across three domains-legal rights, identity perception, and the intergenerational family continuum-generate a cumulative cycle of risk and vulnerability that challenges mental health and overall family functioning. Concurrently, protective and adaptive processes operating within the nuclear family, as well as the personal and community levels, form a multilayered support system that fosters resilience and empowerment. This study contributes to existing literature on strength-based approaches and offers policy and practice recommendations aimed at supporting asylum-seeking families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).