ABSTRACT

Effects of trauma on families can be destructive. Often there must be an adjustment in the role division between refugee partners and parent–child relations which can lead to a gap in communication. Common effects of trauma on families include: adjustment in the role division between partners; parent–child relations and gap in communication; wider generation gap—role reversal; adolescents: reduced flexibility of adjustment; greater risk o identity on fusion; and parents' socialsolation. These also include feeling of alienation in unfamiliar environment; miscommunication with children; confusion of personal and cultural identity; intergenerational misunderstanding; and lack of family cohesion, which may lead to delinquency, neglect, abuse, and community strain. Experiences of exile mean that many women who are refugees and asylum seekers have lost their support networks and community of extended family and friends. The chapter presents the illustrative case study of Amirshah and some short vignettes, Hammed and Fran.