Objective:

To test sense of coherence as a mediator between war trauma, post-migration stress, and mental health functioning in refugees and asylum seekers.

Approach:

• Sample: 151 refugees and asylum seekers in the Netherlands participated, with 84.1% holding a residence permit.
• Methods: Participants completed the LEC-5, PMLP, SOC-13, and OQ-45.2 with research-assistant support in Dutch, English, and Arabic.
• Analysis: Multiple regression and PROCESS Model 4 mediation analyses were conducted, including parallel mediation.

Key Findings:

• Post-migration stress had a stronger predictive effect on mental health functioning than trauma exposure (b = 0.40 vs 0.17).
• Sense of coherence was the strongest correlate of functioning (r = -0.57) and mediated both associations.
• In parallel mediation, sense of coherence and post-migration stress mediated the trauma-functioning association.

Interpretation:

Sense of coherence is a significant personal-resilience construct that influences mental health outcomes in refugees by mediating the effects of trauma and post-migration stress.

Limitations:

• Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
• Sample size may not be representative of all refugees and asylum seekers.

Conclusion:

Sense of coherence warrants attention as a potential mechanism linking trauma and post-migration stress to mental health outcomes in refugees.