Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers' garden based trauma intervention
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers’ experiences of a community garden based trauma intervention: An interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
IRAS ID
210111
Contact name
Serenia Yip
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Wolverhampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
According to the Human Rights Watch (2006), there is a reported population of around 110,000 Sri Lankan Tamils residing in London, many of whom suffer from war-related PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from the 1983-2009 Sri Lankan Civil War and require treatment from UK health services. Unfortunately, there has been little research examining ways to best support this vulnerable client group to date.
Although literature has suggested of the critical role that social and systemic processes play in facilitating asylum seekers’ trauma recovery, it is surprising that psychosocial trauma interventions are yet extensively researched. Still, emerging research has shown community horticultural therapy’s efficacy in helping traumatised clients to rehabilitate, suggesting nature’s contribution to building clients’ sense of safety.
Given the significance of social and systemic processes in asylum seekers’ trauma intervention, the emergence of community horticultural therapy’s efficacy in treating trauma, and a current lack of research on best ways to support Sri Lankan Tamils’ trauma recovery, this research aims to: Examine the subjective experiences of community gardening as a psychosocial trauma intervention in the recovery process for Sri Lankan Tamils who have been diagnosed with war-related PTSD, inform Psychologists of a more psychosocial model of working with trauma, and investigate the use of horticulture therapy in asylum seekers.
Participants eligible for this self-funded research are male Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers who are 18 year-old or above, with a primary diagnoses of PTSD due to war-related trauma. Recruitment and interviews will take place at Sydenham Gardens – a London based charity partnering with NHS, where the trauma gardening intervention is run. The research will last for 1.5 years, and 6 participants will undergo a one-off semi-structured individual interview with the Principal Researcher discussing about their experiences of the intervention. This research’s design is qualitative and participants’ interviews will be analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/WM/0081
Date of REC Opinion
25 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion