Suffering, struggles and support: a qualitative exploration of hope and healing in men seeking asylum using photographs and I-poems

Purpose The literature highlights that health care in the UK is not always well adapted to meet the needs of individuals from different cultural backgrounds and within the context of the asylum system. This study aims to explore culturally adapted health support in the context of wider social and community support, to enable post-migration growth and ameliorate the impact of migratory grief. Design/methodology/approach A community based participatory approach was used. The research team, and community organisation supporting this group, collaborated as equals to foster trust and reciprocity in research. Two focus groups were run in Arabic with a professional interpreter with 14 male participants from six different countries, all with lived experience of the asylum process. Findings The findings are reported under three major themes: pre-migration experiences (home, journeys and disaster), post-migration stress (suffering and meaning) and post-migration growth (hope, kinship and healing). Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that group interventions and peer support are beneficial and acceptable across diverse backgrounds and immigration statuses, though further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of different group based well-being interventions across cultures. Practical implications Our study confirmed the priority of social determinants of health such as housing, food insecurity and social inclusion, which therefore require joined up approaches in policy between health, voluntary and local government sectors. At a policy level, further emphasis should be placed on creating structures to support these elements to prevent longer term impacts of migratory grief on emerging mental health conditions and enable coping with stress. Social implications This study confirmed the key role of meaningful activities (such as physical activity, volunteering and cooking), daily routine, culturally acceptable food, access to places of worship, purpose and activities which offer distraction and fulfilment in shaping grief reactions following loss. Originality/value This study confirms that migratory grief is a distinct process that requires careful detection by culturally adapted conversations and language. It suggests how to adapt well-being interventions to support post-traumatic growth and the unique potential for group based interventions outside of Home Office accommodation to reduce psychopathology due to migratory grief.