Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:996-1002
Copyright © 1997 by American Psychiatric Association
Refugees' time perspective and mental health
M Beiser and I Hyman
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ont., Canada. beiserm@cs.clarke-inst.on.ca
OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to investigate factors protective of the
mental health of refugees, with a particular focus on time splitting and
suppression of the past. METHOD: Structured interviews covering
premigration and postmigration stresses, personal and social resources, and
mental health were given to 1,348 Southeast Asian refugees resettled in
Vancouver, British Columbia, and to a comparison sample of 319 residents of
Vancouver. Both groups of subjects also performed a task designed to
measure orientation toward past, present, and future. RESULTS: Compared
with resident Canadians, refugees were more likely to exhibit an atomistic
time perspective in which past, present, and future are split. Temporal
atomism and avoidance of nostalgia were associated with a lower risk of
depression than were other time perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: Under conditions
of extreme adversity, time splitting and suppression of the past may be
adaptive strategies, mitigating the risk of depression.
