"This is survival, not living the life." Daily life of asylum seekers, opportunities, participation, health and well-being

• Main Author: Lilja Ingvarsson 1958-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Lýðheilsuvísindi; Hælisleitendur; Líðan; Lífshættir; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/20209

Aim: An ever-increasing number of people seek asylum in Iceland. The wait for resolution on application for asylum can take up to 3 years. During this time disrupted participation in daily occupations is common. This study was carried out to gain an understanding of the experience of asylum seekers, while awaiting the resolution of their application. It explores their daily occupations, their opportunities for participation in meaningful occupations and the effect of waiting in idleness on their health and well-being. Methods: Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants, of which six were asylum seekers. A grounded theory approach was applied in data analysis to categorize and identify key concepts. Results: Four major categories emerged that reflected the participants’ living conditions, opportunities for participation, feelings of powerlessness, and views on the future. The long processing time of the applications was enormously stressful. Not being in charge of one’s life, living conditions or income was frustrating and resulted in feelings of powerlessness. Conclusion: The results indicate that waiting in idleness is enormously stressful and the processing time of applications must be shortened. Attention needs to be focused on living conditions and opportunities for participation in meaningful occupations, including work. Markmið: Sífellt fleiri sækja um hæli á Íslandi en málsmeðferðartími er allt að þrjú ár. Á biðtíma er algengt að þátttaka í mikilvægri iðju sé takmörkuð. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að öðlast skilning á reynslu og upplifun hælisleitenda á þessum tíma. Áhersla var lögð á daglega iðju, tækifæri til þátttöku í iðju og áhrif þess á heilsu og velsæld að bíða í óvissu. Aðferð: Ellefu opin viðtöl voru tekin við 9 þátttakendur, þar af 6 hælisleitendur. Aðferðum grundaðra kenninga í anda mótunarhyggju var beitt við úrvinnslu gagna. Niðurstöður: Fjögur megin þemu komu í ljós, sem lýstu reynslu hælisleitenda og búsetu, tækifærum til þátttöku, upplifun valdleysis og ...