Experiences of refugees in the UK who have suspicious thoughts
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Experiences of refugees in the UK who have suspicious thoughts
IRAS ID
296817
Contact name
Jessie Whichelow
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Hull
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 8 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
Part one asks 'what are refugees experiences of having suspicious thoughts once they arrive in the UK?' and explores this patterning of meaning across individuals. Part 2 will be opened if enough participants are not recruited to part one and asks 'what are the experiences of staff working with refugees in the UK who experience suspicious thoughts?' This study will particularly look at individuals who experience distress associated with these suspicious thoughts. This is important as there is currently no research in this area. Refugees are more likely to have these experiences than comparative populations, which can prevent them from accessing peer, community and mental health support and have been linked to poorer psychological wellbeing. The hope is that this research will encourage peers, community and NHS organisations be more curious about the experiences of refugees experiencing suspicious thoughts and encourage more discussion around this.
In part one, between six and ten refugees, including up to two non-English speakers, who are experiencing suspicious thoughts, or have experienced these since arriving in the UK, will take part in separate semi-structured interviews regarding their experiences of having suspicious thoughts. Participants must have lived in the UK for at least five years. If fewer than six participants are recruited through part one then part two will be opened up. Between six and ten staff members working with refugees experiencing suspicious thoughts will be recruited. They must have worked with refugees for at least a year (including at least one refugee with suspicious thoughts) and speak English.
This research will be funded by the University of Hull, with participants recruited from Hull Traumatic Stress Service, Community Mental Health Teams within Humber NHS Foundation Trust, Psypher, Humber All Nations Alliance and HANA partner organisations.
Summary of Results
This summary was completed in December 2022. Newer information since this summary was written may now exist. This summary includes only results from one single study. Other studies may find different results.
Title of study
Experiences of staff working with refugees experiencing distressing suspicious thoughtsIRAS ID
296817REC Number
21/EE/0289Who sponsored this study?
This study was sponsored by the University of Hull.
If you have any questions please contact researchgovernance@hull.ac.ukWho carried out the research?
This research was carried out by Jessie Whichelow, a trainee clinical psychologist, alongside her supervisors Dr Anjula Gupta, Dr Chris Sanderson and Dr Naomi Bright.There are no competing interests.
Who participated in the research?
• Seven staff members working with refugees experiencing distressing suspicious thoughts were recruited through social media groups related to refugees or mental health, and through NHS and third sector services that work with refugees.What was the research question?
• The research question was ‘what are the experiences of staff members working with refugees who experience distressing suspicious thoughts?’What happened during the study?
• Participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews, which lasted for an average of 56 minutes.
• These interviews were then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith et al, 2009).What were the results?
• Three superordinate themes were generated from the data: working within broken systems, the social self and self-identity and its transformation. Each of these contained between three and four sub-themes.
• The study highlighted that the relationship between refugees experiencing distressing suspicious thoughts (DSTs) and staff that work with them exists within and is influenced by wider systems, communities and relationships.
• Participants highlighted the difficulty of working within systems that were risk-reactive, and spoke about the role of institutionally racist and de-humanising systems in contributing to the development of refugee’s suspicious thoughts and keeping them going.
• They explained that the relationship between themselves and the refugee was crucial, and that isolation could contribute to the development and maintenance of suspicious thoughts.
• Finally, participants highlighted the changes they noticed in themselves and the refugees as they worked together. This was seen as a continuing process.How has this study helped refugees, staff that work with refugees, and researchers?
• This research provides evidence to support the importance of positive, collaborative relationships between systems working with refugees experiencing distressing suspicious thoughts.
• This research provides evidence to support systems being trauma-informed and actively anti-racist, starting with first point of contact systems such as the Home Office. Applying these principles in systems that work with refugees experiencing distressing suspicious thoughts could help to reduce the development and maintenance of suspicious thoughts. This may support refugees to access appropriate care.
• This study shows that staff have a key role in the systems of refugees experiencing distressing suspicious thoughts. It provides evidence to suggest they could benefit from more support, including regular supervision.
• This research may be useful for researchers who want to speak to refugees about their distressing suspicious thoughts. This research suggests that it could be useful to involve staff who work with refugees with distressing suspicious thoughts in their recruitment and interview process.Where can I learn more about this study?
The research will be available on the university of Hull’s digital repository, which can be accessed via this link: https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fu2790089.ct.sendgrid.net%2Fls%2Fclick%3Fupn%3DXv3JSvJ-2B3M71ppf7N9agbWiDkrWup11HB55gUrj-2B0JYQn-2FENOO7AjTD50wUGTjPajKL1_E1aO2-2BZlVOSJJV-2FajQqskegTd6IRomHYTi-2Fbt8SH3YLLJzwOxmJuqIaiL-2FusW0jvT2eoAg0RTfRuFrnvdx7skC36Y3iFblIhuXMyvbifgCqmGcZq8W00A2Z3h-2FeDzgfntZApJOPNL9iuUhnM76cReuFFY7zS9JKX9uubKA32wdQVRMsBKis2H7mjn1csmW8ceD-2FT4v9qeoNoxuDRjfaoAw-3D-3D&data=05%7C01%7Capprovals%40hra.nhs.uk%7C2bdb2b0003b54e1223fb08dad6f03839%7C8e1f0acad87d4f20939e36243d574267%7C0%7C0%7C638058624464939169%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=caG%2FYBfMV4THGzS%2BsnDdLRc%2FFAcWqDOJjkffdQf5mng%3D&reserved=0REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EE/0289
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion