"Can I join you?” Refugees’ Emotion Regulation Experiences during Resettlement

Refugee experiences of integration is of growing importance, yet we know little about the lived emotional experiences faced by refugees themselves, the effects of their inclusion on organisational outcomes and the ways they regulate their emotions. Drawing on phenomenological interviews, this study probed the emotional experiences often refugees residing and already working in the UK. Utilising Gross’s (1998, 2014) model of emotion regulation, we analysed how refugees used emotion regulation processes as they adapted to their new work and social environments. Findings illuminate the unfamiliarity experienced throughout their attempt to navigate to the labour market, with racism and harassment challenging their integration. However, their accounts revealed resilience and persistence to survive under adversity, which helped them develop career adaptability and contribute to their profession. This study is significant because it extends knowledge of refugee integration and highlights the ways in which refugees actively fight to survive in their new environments, ratherthan emphasising on their deficits.