Stress and resilience among resettling refugee youth: An illustrative review and new applications for the family stress model

Some of the world's 84 million forcibly displaced persons (approximately half are youth under the age of 18) obtain legal refugee status, which allows them passage to resettle in new communities. Although much has been documented about experiences of stress and trauma among refugees, we know less about their resilience and coping abilities. Furthermore, a lack of an overarching theoretical framework hinders our understanding of the complete refugee experience, which includes stressors, but also significant strengths and resources. In this paper, we offer a unified conceptual model inspired by family stress, ecological systems, and resilience science that outlines hypothesized stress and resilience pathways during resettlement. We also provide an illustrative review of research from the past two decades involving both the stressors and resources influencing refugee youth during resettlement. We note critical questions that warrant future directions for investigators, particularly those pertaining to resettlement resources that promote resilience at multiple levels.