The temporal relationship between non-acceptance of positive and negative emotions and psychological symptoms in refugees.

Background: The majority of the world's refugees and asylum-seekers live in transit settings. Despite this, little is known regarding the psychological factors that influence mental health in these contexts. Understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying psychopathology for refugees living in transit settings can inform policy and intervention. One promising mechanism that has been linked to psychopathology in trauma survivors is non-acceptance of positive and negative emotions.

Methods: We investigated the temporal relationship between non-acceptance of positive emotions, non-acceptance of negative emotions, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression symptoms and anger reactions. The study sample comprised 1235 refugees displaced in Indonesia who completed an online survey in Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Somali or English at four time-points six-months apart.

Results: A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model indicated that non-acceptance of positive emotions was associated with subsequent increases in PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms and anger reactions. Greater depression symptoms were associated with increased non-acceptance of positive emotions. Non-acceptance of negative emotions showed a bidirectional relationship with PTSD symptoms.

Limitations: Limitations included the relatively brief measurement of non-acceptance of negative emotions and fact that the study sample was not necessarily representative of the refugee population in Indonesia.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that non-acceptance of emotions represents a psychological mechanism underlying psychological symptoms in refugees living in transit settings. Non-acceptance of positive emotions seems to be an especially important factor predicting increased psychological symptoms over time. Targeting emotion regulation skills, and emotional non-acceptance specifically, may improve the mental health of refugees living in transit settings.