A new study has shed light on the hidden trauma experienced by unaccompanied Afghan refugee children who were brought to the United Kingdom after fleeing the Taliban. Young Afghans shared with researchers how social anxiety, loneliness, and depression lingered long after seeking refuge in the UK.
Stories of Suffering
Losing his family members to violence in Afghanistan kept Abdullah, a participant in the study, awake at night in the UK. “My uncle died, somebody killed him... that gives me more stress. Sometimes when I go to sleep, it’s in my brain. Back then I couldn't sleep for a month at all,” he told Dr Rebecca Lane, the clinical psychologist leading the research. “Since I came here, I lost a lot of people... like my cousins, they died there. So these things give you a lot of stress, I am not able to see them,” Abdullah recounted.
Another participant said: “Sometimes I think maybe some of my pains... is because of the stress that I have. And that is translating into physical pain.” Their stories highlight years of silent suffering and intergenerational trauma, the authors of the study told The Independent. They reflect the mental anguish, agony of separation, and survivors’ guilt since seeking refuge in the UK, and for some, it has manifested into chronic physical pain.
Research Findings
Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) interviewed 12 unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) after the fall of Kabul and the subsequent takeover by the Taliban. The participants, from majority and ethnic minorities including Afghan, Pashtun, Hazara, and Tajiki, said they entered the UK when they were between the ages of 14 and 21. At the time of the research, they were in their early to mid-20s and had been residing in the UK for at least two to 11 years, having experienced violence, threat to life or livelihood, and parental loss or separation.
In August 2021, as the Nato-led government in Kabul collapsed within hours, Afghan mothers were seen desperately raising their children and babies over barbed wires at the airport to send them far away from Taliban rule. “The mothers were desperate, they were getting beaten by the Taliban. They shouted, ‘save my baby’ and threw the babies at us. Some of the babies fell on the barbed wire. It was awful what happened. By the end of the night there wasn’t one man among us who was not crying,” a Parachute Regiment officer told The Independent during the hasty evacuations.
Compared to other Afghan children who fled with their parents, those who arrived unaccompanied were more likely to struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, experts say. “Unaccompanied child refugees have lost family, safety and a sense of home, and many have been exposed to traumatic events on their journey,” said Dr Kenny Chiu, clinical lecturer from UEA’s Norwich Medical School.
The study notes: “Difficulties were often present in a triad of physical or psychosomatic pain, mental health difficulties and relational challenges. This is consistent with qualitative research among Afghan and Kurdish refugees in Australia, which puts forward that rumination in the context of loneliness can rekindle traumatic memories and prolong mental health difficulties long after resettlement.” Dr Lane added: “For example, mental and physical pain often occurred together. Physical pain would stop people leaving the house, exercising or spending time with friends – which then made their mental health and feelings of isolation worse.”
Coping Mechanisms and Challenges
The unaccompanied refugees faced deep loneliness and barriers in making new connections due to having their safety and life challenged in the war, making it difficult to trust people. They were also hyper-vigilant or lacked the social skills to develop friends. Culturally, Afghan society does not promote boys and men to express their emotional and vulnerable side, which has further added to their mental health problems, experts say. The team found that this emotional “shutdown” often continued as they settled in the UK, leaving young refugees socially isolated, especially during the time they most needed support.
Distraction and avoidance of fears and worries were the most used coping methods, Dr Lane said. Many turned to activities such as cricket, praying, and having conversations with friends to ease their anxiety. “If I'm at home doing nothing, then I just call my friends, we go out to the park and play some sports, like cricket,” said one participant, adding that he has played cricket since he was three or four years old. “Back home in Afghanistan – there's no other sports, only cricket,” he said.
Some also resorted to alcohol and medication to numb their pain, Dr Lane said. She added that a very small minority among the group also used self-harm as a coping mechanism. However, they have now come a fair bit of distance in their emotional and mental health journey, she said. “Maybe a third or up to 50 per cent of the young people I spoke to were in a wildly different place when they spoke to me than when they were when they entered the UK. And that transformation was because of social connection and it was because of support services,” she said, speaking from England over a Zoom call.
Quite a few of them say their life is now unrecognisable compared to before they sought help, according to Dr Lane. Some of them have even been reunited with their families. “They were feeling very lonely before, but they were reunited with their family now and now things were less difficult so I do think that there are lots of glimmers of hope....”
*Abdullah’s name has been changed to protect his identity.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
