Trauma and posttraumatic growth in women refugees: A bibliometric analysis of research output over time.

Refugee women represent one of the biggest minority groups around the globe, yet little is known of the short- or long-term psychosocial consequences they incur from the refugee journey involving possible growth in the face of trauma. Thus, this bibliometric study aimed to assess the volume and characteristics of research output over time concerning the pre, during, and post-refugee journey of refugee women, inclusive of the theoretical constructs of complex trauma and posttraumatic growth. A descriptive repeat cross-sectional study of publications was conducted from the databases EMBASE, Medline, PsycINFO, and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection (EBSCO) across the time periods 1995 to 2000; 2005 to 2010; and 2015 to 2020. Authors jointly assessed article relevance for inclusion. Classifications included the following: database; country of research institution; country of participants; type of trauma experienced; and trauma and growth terminology. In summary, 10 articles, all conducted in the third time period (2015–2020), met criteria for review, providing an increase in the volume of publications reporting on trauma and posttraumatic growth in refugee women despite an overall paucity of research. Most studies were conducted in the United States and Asian refugee women were the greatest recruited participants in studies. A wide range of trauma types were classified as (a) individual trauma, including gender-based trauma, witnessing trauma, forced migration, multiple losses, dehumanization and denial of human rights; (b) collective trauma included internal conflicts, interterritorial war, war civilians, genocide, and systematic government threats. Lastly, the posttraumatic growth domains of positive relations with others, meaning-making, and spirituality were most represented.