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Collective documents encapsulate records stemming from collective narrative practices, weaving together individual stories to address trauma and challenges. These documents manifest as narrative letters, certificates, and story genealogies, aiming to tangibly record emerging collective narratives. Their primary purpose is to facilitate reflection, recognizing skills, resources, and fostering a connection to co-constructed stories. In our work, we present a collective document authored by mental health practitioners in Niamey, Niger. After transcribing and translating in English the audio recorded narrative discussions, key themes emerged from Thematic Content Analysis: challenges with medical professionals' unfamiliarity with psychological sciences, community resistance to psychological professions, daily struggles amid economic and environmental challenges, and the dangers of war and violence. These themes were approached through traditional values such as patience, resilience, and family support. This document serves as an initiative to introduce decolonial dialogues in mental health practices, amplifying marginalized voices and challenging colonial narratives that historically suppressed local voices. It underscores a commitment to dismantling colonial influences within mental health paradigms, respecting local cultural heritages as integral to healing. Acknowledging the resilience and resistance of Nigerien practitioners against colonial power structures, the aim is to promote transformativ

Our exploratory qualitative study sought to examine the traumatic experiences lived, in the pre-migration, migration, and post-migration phases, by refugees and asylum seekers of African displaced people in Niger. Namely, in-depth semi-structured interviews were pursued on 50 participants (mean age 29 years), recruited through purposive convenience sampling via a local NGO in Niger. The analysis of the interviews revealed four main themes: the scenario in which refugees live, permeated by prolonged conflict, economic and political instability and the loss of loved ones; the everyday life marked by sexual violence, torture, family abuse, discrimination, imprisonment and deprivation situations; mental and physical health constantly at risk due to the challenges faced daily; and the search for safety and support, also as an underlying driver of the decision to migrate.The findings underscore the challenges of daily life marked by various forms of trauma such as sexual violence, torture, discrimination, and deprivation. Additionally, the study emphasizes the perpetual risks to both mental and physical health due to these adversities. Moreover, it illuminates how the pursuit of safety and support serves as a fundamental motivator for their migration decisions, shedding light on the complex and compelling factors driving their displacement.

This qualitative exploratory research delves into the intricate life narratives of forcibly displaced individuals residing within the Emergency Transit Mechanism in Niger, employing a methodology grounded in life narrative analysis. The primary objective is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential stressors and traumatic experiences encountered by these individuals, encompassing both psychological and physiological dimensions, while also examining the dynamics of resilience and elements contributing to their overall well-being. The findings, derived through thematic content analysis, underscore the cumulative nature of traumatic events experienced by migrants throughout their lifetimes and across various stages of the migration continuum. The study, in alignment with extant scholarly literature, identifies thematic categories such as “A scenario of conflict and mourning, “ everyday experience of violence and discrimination,” “health at risk”, and ” Seeking security.” Refugees recount enduring multiple traumas, including familial bereavements and losses resulting from conflicts and militarized violence. Furthermore, the analysis elucidates a profound interplay between traumatic occurrences, subjective well-being, and resilience among the studied population. Despite confronting adverse living circumstances, refugees demonstrate indicators of subjective well-being, hinting at the potential for resilience and recovery. This challenges conventional diagnostic frameworks such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and underscores the necessity for a nuanced understanding of trauma's multifaceted impacts. Nevertheless, the study underscores the urgent need for a more robust and contextually attuned mental health support infrastructure, advocating for a deeper exploration of the socio-political determinants underpinning forced migration. By comprehending the root causes of displacement through a socio-political lens, policymakers and practitioners can devise

La migrazione è, nel suo concetto primario, ricerca di un miglioramento della qualità della vita. Essa inizia come esperienza ricca di aspettative, di preconcetti positivi e negativi e di sogni. Molte volte, però, questi elementi arrivano spesso a scontrarsi con una realtà inaspettata che entra in conflitto con le idee e gli investimenti materiali ed emotivi della persona migrante. Da questo ne puo derivare un’influenza negativa sul benessere della persona e possono ugualmente nascere delle difficolta nella messa in atto di pratiche adeguate di sostegno al benessere psicosociale dell’individuo. E infatti molto importante sottolinera il fatto che la maggior parte dei migranti agiscono seguendo ed inseguendo un sogno e gli interventi clinici e umanitari in generale hanno come base fondante il principio di realtà. Le risposte psicologiche tra le persone in movimento sono intricate, plasmate da una combinazionedi vari fattori, rendendo unico il percorso di caiscun individuo. Riconoscere e affrontare le loro esigenze di salute mentale durante la reinstallazione e il processo di acculturazione sono fondamentali per fornire un supporto ed un assistenza adeguati . Lo scontro tra sogno e realtà ha chiaramente delle ripercussioni sul benessere della persona, sulla sua percezione dello stesso, rispetto a sé e rispetto all’ambiente in cui si ritrova. Una riflessione su questa dicotomia è primordiale e permette di inquadrare meglio l’argomento trattato, di per sé estremamente complesso e ricco di variabili intervenienti, dovuto in principal modo al fatto che, come detto, le migrazioni sono realtà fatte di persone che portano con sé aspettative e approcci differenti e che il benessere viene percepito in maniera diversa a seconda del background culturale, religioso ed educativo del migrante. Le esperienze di migrazione non possono essere considerate e trattate in modo uniforme ed è importante non trascurane la complessità. Tutte le ricerche presentate hanno mostrato c, Migration is, in its primary concept, a search for an improved quality of life. It begins as an experience full of expectations, positive and negative preconceptions and dreams. Many times, however, these elements often come into conflict with an unexpected reality that conflicts with the migrant person's material and emotional ideas and investments. This can result in a negative influence on the person's well-being, and difficulties can equally arise in implementing appropriate practices to support the individual's psychosocial well-being. It is indeed very important to emphasize the fact that most migrants act following and chasing a dream, and clinical and humanitarian interventions in general have the reality principle as their foundational basis. Psychological responses among people on the move are intricate, shaped by a combination of various factors, making each individual's journey unique. Recognizing and addressing their mental health needs during reinstallation and the acculturation process are critical to providing appropriate support and assistance (LeMaster2017). The clash between dream and reality clearly has repercussions on the person's well-being, on his or her perception of the same, with respect to himself or herself and with respect to the environment in which he or she finds himself or herself. A reflection on this dichotomy is primordial and allows for a better framing of the topic under discussion, which in itself is extremely complex and full of intervening variables, due mainly to the fact that, as mentioned, migration is a reality made up of people who bring with them different expectations and approaches, and that well-being is perceived differently depending on the migrant's cultural, religious and educational background. Migration experiences cannot be considered and treated uniformly, and it is important not to overlook their complexity. All the research presented showed that subjective well-being is an essential component of quality of

Collective documents refer to records created during collective narrative practice. It’s a methodology which enables to link the stories of individuals in responding to trauma and hardships. They can result in narrative letters, certificates of competence, story genealogies, and more. The main purpose of these documents is to create a tangible record of emerging collective narratives, thereby enabling individuals and groups to reflect on them, recognizing skills and resources and keeping a generative connection with the stories they are co-constructing. In this work we present a collective document created by Nigerien mental health practitioners working in Niamey. During the narrative practice, we discussed the socio-professional experiences and challenges they encounter in Niger. Four key themes were discussed: the unfamiliarity of medical doctors with psychological sciences, the families’ and community’s refusal of the psychological professions, the daily struggles against economic and environmental challenges and the danger and threats in the context of war and violence. These themes are discussed according to traditional values and attributes, such as patience, perseverance, endurance, resilience, social cohesion, family support, greatness, mutual assistance, and love for work which are interwoven with traditions and narratives. Our contribution represents an invitation to adopt decolonial conversations in mental health practices. Through acknowledging the stories and challenges shared by Nigerien practitioners, we aim to amplifying marginalized voices and counteract colonial narratives that historically silenced the local ones. This choice reflects our commitment to dismantling lingering colonial influences within mental health paradigms, honouring local systems of meanings and heritages as fundamental for healing. We acknowledge the Nigerien practitioners’ collective resilience and resistance against colonial structures of power permeating their work. We belie

This study sought to qualitatively explore dimensions of human insecurity and their effect on the quality of life as an antecedent of general well-being and mental health among a group of young internally displaced people (IDPs) living in refugee camps in the region of Diffa, Niger. Thirty-six IDPs (56% female, 44% male; MAge = 15; SD = 1.96) took part in 9 focus group discussions in which they were asked to describe two types of people, one with poor and one with good general well-being after displacement. Additionally, participants were asked to comment on their personal experiences. Five main themes emerged from the thematic content analysis (TCA): Experience of human insecurity during the internal displacement, sources of functioning and protective factors, coping strategies, adverse health and mental health outcomes, and positive mental health outcomes depicted the participants’ perceptions and concerns. Mental health and quality of life proved to be interlocked constructs, where the psychological dimension is affected and contextualized by human insecurity, general well-being, and human rights–related factors.

Our explorative work aimed to qualitatively analyze the factors affecting human security and psychological well-being in a group of migrants temporarily hosted in a Nigerian transit center. The study involved 250 migrants from different Western and sub-Saharan African countries who were interviewed during their stay in International Organization for Migration – supported transit centers. Thematic content analysis was performed on the texts of the interviews. Motivations for departure from the home country, resources available for migrants’ sense of security, expectations for their future, experience in the host country, and the relationship between human insecurity and life satisfaction were the main emerging themes.

The main objective of the present quali-quantitative exploratory study was to analyze narrative data from in-depth interviews with returning West African migrants in the Agadez and Nyamey regions (Niger). Specifically, we out to investigate the complex set of reasons that had led the participants to leave their homes and move toward other countries, as well as their expectations concerning their return to their home country and the implications of return for their subjective wellbeing. Categorical analysis of the interview transcripts led us to identify two main first-order themes (internal and external factors underpinning the decision to migrate) and seven lower-order classes of reasons for migrating. We drew on a pragmatically informed Quantitative Textual Analysis approach to further explore the data, finding that experience strongly influenced migrants’ representations and aspirations, as well as their expectations surrounding their return migration. The more migrants encounter hardship and deprivation in the destination country, the more their subjective wellbeing can be undermined, and consequently, the more their expectations about return are catastrophic. Familial and personal aspirations surrounding the migratory project appear to increase these migrants’ sense of failure and despair on returning home without the economic and personal resources to support themselves and their families. We discuss the implications for practitioners and policy makers.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report a real-life empirical case and discuss some caveats emerged in measuring subjective well-being (SWB) in an understudied population of adolescents refugees from West Africa. Design/methodology/approach: During the process of translation and cultural adaptation of the subjective well-being assessment scale in the target population, the model of measurement presented some weakness with regard to content validity criteria. Findings: This leads to a partial revision of the model and the development of new locally-based domains of SWB. Originality/value: Context-specific factors’ robustness showed the dynamic and culture-informed nature of the SWB construct. Practical and theoretical implications of using quantitative questionnaires in non-western contexts characterized by high grades of insecurity and instability will be discussed.

In our work, we explored factors of outward migration and the factors that drive migrants to return to their countries of origin. All participants were recruited at transit centers in Niger. Interviews were analyzed using a Quantitative Text Analysis methodology. Results showed that the push factors are organized along two dimensions, economic (job search, breadwinner, poverty) and subjective psychological/social components (disruption of social networks, educational, personal ambitions). The decision to return is represented by a dimension of human insecurity (repression, prison, death) and internal/external reasons ranging from spontaneous to forced return. Implications for social work are discussed.

Following a socio-ecological approach focused on multidimensional aspects of psychological functioning, this pilot study investigated the relationship between subjective well-being across different domains (e.g., positive experience, social relations, human insecurity, negative experience, self-competence, hope for the future) and psychological distress, in a sample (n = 225) of internally displaced (internally displaced people, IDPs) adolescents hosted in refugee camps in Niger. The Subjective Well-Being Assessment Scale and General Health Questionnaire-12 were administered to the sample by trained interviewers. Participants displayed a low level of psychological distress despite the multiple traumatic experiences they had faced and ongoing stressful conditions at the host camps. Positive experience was found to act as an effective protection factor, enhancing psychological functioning, and mitigating psychological distress. A preserved sense of self-competence and hope for the future were confirmed to play a key role in protecting adolescents from the effects of psychological distress. Youths seem to maintain positive psychological functioning when subjective well-being and other personal and relational resources are active as protection factors.