REFUGEE RESPONSES TO STIGMA: PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES TRIGGERED BY STIGMA AND ASSOCIATED OUTCOMES IN THE RESETTLEMENT ENVIRONMENT

In contrast to the substantial literature on prejudice directed towards people who claim asylum, there is much less information about how asylum seekers respond to ‘stigma’. Research has been mostly limited to associations between discrimination and mental health. A more holistic view should include physical, mental and social wellbeing, as well as successful resolution of the asylum case. In addition, there is a lack of understanding about the psychological processes that are triggered by stigma. This thesis addresses these gaps by investigating the extent to which stereotype threat impacts the testimony that asylum seekers provide in support of their asylum case (Studies 1 and 2) and their long-term health and well-being (Study 3). Study 1 investigated the potential for stereotype threat to occur in the asylum interview by interviewing people who have applied for asylum about their experience. Study 2 investigated the impact that stereotype threat may have on asylum seekers’ testimony by testing whether people who have applied for asylum perform worse on a working memory test following exposure to a subtle stereotype threat manipulation. The results of Studies 1 and 2 suggest that stereotype threat may be triggered as a result of the conditions experienced during the asylum interview, but not the laboratory conditions created in Study 2. Study 3 investigated the physical and mental health outcomes that refugees experience following resettlement by conducting a secondary analysis of the Survey of New Refugees. The findings suggest that emotional distress contributes to poor health outcomes among refugees and thus that interventions might target emotional distress. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that how asylum seekers respond to stigma is a factor that can shape outcomes in the resettlement environment, a finding that has implications for asylum seekers, as well as for the work of asylum policymakers and refugee third sector organisations.