Islamophobia and the Mental Health of Rohingya Refugees

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief description on Islamophobia and the mental health of Rohingya refugees. There is a dearth of research into the mental health challenges faced by Rohingya. Trauma exposure in Rohingya population is severe, collective, and protracted. Trauma has accumulated not only through the lifespan but the generations. Through a literature search for a framework for conceptualizing the mental health impact of atrocities on Rohingya, the authors find most helpful the construct of transgenerational trauma given by Evans-Campbell. The authors will use her model to review the impact of such protracted trauma at individual, family, and community levels and, in the absence of much research on the Rohingya, consider how similar atrocities have impacted other similar groups. Rohingya refugees have high rates of PTSD, clinical depression, and anxiety. It has been demonstrated that trauma is transmitted to the subsequent generations. The chapter reviews the biopsychosocial mechanism of such transmission for large-scale atrocities. Although a great deal of work has been done to treat trauma and PTSD for individuals, little is known about how to help the victims of genocidal trauma heal successfully. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)