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Religion in the lives of unaccompanied minors: an available and compelling coping resource
Author(s)
Date Issued
2011-04
Date Available
2014-02-28T09:39:51Z
Abstract
Anecdotal evidence suggests that religion plays an important role in the lives of asylum
seekers and refugees. However, little research has been conducted in this area. Drawing
on the work of Pargament (1997) and on interviews undertaken with unaccompanied
minors living in the Republic of Ireland, this article shows how religious coping is
both a ‘relatively available’ and a 'relatively compelling' way for these young people
to deal with the challenges that they face. Religious faith and practice served as a
source of continuity in their lives, with belief in God representing something familiar
within a largely unfamiliar context. In addition, the young people’s relationships with
God provided them with a sense of meaning and comfort and an increased sense of
control. Overall, religious coping helped the young people to deal with the challenging
circumstances with which they were faced. The findings suggest that the religious
beliefs of asylum seeking and other social work clients need to be better understood
so that these beliefs can be appropriately integrated into practice situations.
Type of Material
Journal Article
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Journal
British Journal of Social Work
Volume
41
Issue
3
Start Page
539
End Page
556
Copyright (Published Version)
© The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers.
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
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