Cover image: © UNHCR/Oxygen Empire Media Production

Abstract: The study aims to investigate the relationship between acculturation stress and identity crisis among Afghan refugees in Pakistan. To measure acculturation stress (the S.A.F.E. acculturation stress scale) by Mena et al. (1987 and identity crisis (identity distress scale) by Berman et al. (2004 were used. The total sample comprises 400 refugees, including 210 males and 190 females with an age range from 21 to 40 years. Data collection employed purposive sampling techniques, and data was collected from Islamabad & Rawalpindi. Acculturation stress, resulting from cultural adaptation challenges, is associated with higher levels of identity crisis. This highlights the need for culturally sensitive support services to address both acculturation stress and identity crisis.  Afghan refugees experiencing greater cultural adaptation challenges are more likely to encounter identity confusion and uncertainty. The findings indicate that the majority of Afghan refugees reported experiencing cultural shock and disorientation upon arrival in Pakistan. Additionally, they reported difficulty understanding and navigating Pakistani customs and norms, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed and anxiety. This cultural adaptation stress triggers an identity crisis, with 70% of refugees reporting uncertainty about their identity and sense of belonging. This study, which was conducted in Pakistan, addresses a major gap in the understanding of various psychosocial experiences among Afghan refugees. Overall, these findings hold implications for intervention programs aimed at supporting Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Keywords: Acculturation Stress, Identity Crisis, Afghan Refugees, Pakistan

Introduction

Refugees are individuals who are compelled to leave their home country in search of safety elsewhere. They cannot return due to the threat of persecution based on their identity, beliefs, or expressions, as well as due to armed conflict, violence, or significant social unrest.

Many have had to escape with little more than the clothes they are wearing, abandoning their homes, belongings, jobs, and loved ones. In the process, they may have experienced human rights abuses, suffered injuries during their journey, or witnessed the death or assault of family members or friends (UNHCR).

Refugees often face dreadful life events such as losing their homes and loved ones and having an unclear future due to the instability of their new life. They desire to move away from the abusive environment and start over somewhere new (Jibeen, 2019; Ruiz and Bhugra, 2010; Tamang, 2009). It is essential to keep in mind that over ninety-five percent of Afghan refugees reside in Pakistan, making up one in four refugees globally. According to data from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (2015), over 63 percent of Afghan refugees live in Pakistani cities while residing in camps or villages. Refugee camps are divided areas only accessible by Afghan refugees; they usually lack even the most basic social facilities and opportunities for economic development; many have turned into permanent residences for refugees, some of whom have been there for more than ten years (Dzeamesi, 2008). Research has identified that Afghan refugees in Pakistan are facing feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression due to the sudden changes in their environment, customs, and social norms. The language barrier hinders their communication and limits access to essential services, education, and job opportunities, exacerbating feelings of alienation. Moreover, adapting to new cultural practices and social interactions can be challenging, leading to difficulties in forming relationships with local communities and integrating into society. Cultural differences often impact their job opportunities, and as migrants, they struggle to navigate the local job market or face discrimination, making it harder to achieve financial stability.  This further leads to identity crises when they feel torn between their heritage and the need to assimilate into Pakistani society, which can lead to confusion and a sense of loss (Gonzalez, 2024; Hamid, 2024).

Acculturative refers to the process through which individuals from one culture adopt the beliefs, values, customs, and behaviours of another culture, often as a result of migration or prolonged exposure. Culture might lead to stress when there are challenges in adapting to a new culture. The acculturation stress usually stems from Language barriers, Discrimination or prejudice, Loss of social support networks, Conflicts between old and new cultural identities, etc. (Poyrazli et al. 2010). The literature suggests that refugees' low subjective well-being may be explained by inadequate acculturation since they encounter a variety of stressors and difficulties connected to acculturation that necessitate coping mechanisms (Safdar et al. 2009. It is crucial to remember that refugees have to cope with negative pre- and post-migration experiences in the host nation, and research suggests that the latter may have a greater influence on mental health than the former (Berry,1990; Beiser, 1991; Liebkind, 1996).

"The psychological, cultural, and political considerations as well as surrounding circumstances also play an important role in building an identity, and refugees are active in the moulding of their identity" (Ager, 1999, page 2). Identity, according to (Kuus, 2007), is "not as an unwed, coherent thing, but as a collection of conflicting elements and an evolving and debatable target." In this sense, identity is seen to be inextricably linked to a person's personal history and developmental stages. 

The literature suggests that an individual's role is essential to identity creation as well as maintenance. This is an ongoing process when a single person acts as a mediator. Identity dynamics deals with both the societal as well as private aspects of one's identity - an array of these elements creating a 'rank of identities' that a person must choose how to construct (Pani, 2011). Many academics contend that "the identity restructuring is based on elements that bring together or separate someone from others, with the individual actively selecting the ways to identify themselves" (Mutanen, 2010); nevertheless, in certain circumstances, the state or society makes the decision rather than the individual.

Refugees faced varying levels of acculturative stress while striving to integrate and had to negotiate new areas for themselves (Barajas, 2024). Berry uses the word "acculturative stress" to replace the earlier term "culture shock," which is linked to psychological stress models as a reaction to the integration process. 

Some immigrants described their experience as an "identity crisis," while others described it as a painful form of "cultural electrocution." Surprisingly, some have attempted to mitigate the effects of cultural clashes by merging the greatest features of both civilizations. Refugees suffered depressive sensations of suffering, tension, moodiness, worry, loneliness, and trauma while transitioning to settler society. 

Hosseini et al. (2024)  mentioned that  Afghan refugees in Pakistan have created a unique set of challenges for both the host country and the refugee population. Acculturation stress, resulting from cultural adaptation, can lead to identity crises among refugees (Gómez et al., 2014). Despite the significance of this issue, there is a dearth of research on acculturation stress and identity crises among Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Previous studies in Pakistan have focused on the mental health and well-being of Afghan refugees qualitatively (Khan & Farooq, 2022). However, there is a need to explore the specific challenges of acculturation stress and identity crisis faced by this population. To address these gaps, this study employs a quantitative approach, surveying a larger group of Afghan refugees to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their experiences (Khan et al., 2014). This approach complements existing qualitative studies, which have relied on in-depth interviews or focus groups (Wadood et al., 2020).

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Method

Objectives

1. To investigate the relationship between acculturation stress (general stress and family stress), and identity crisis among refugees in Pakistan.
2. To study the role of different socio-demographic variables with study variables (acculturation stress and identity crisis) among refugees in Pakistan.

Hypothesis

1. There is a positive relationship between acculturation stress (general stress and family stress) and identity crisis among Afghan refugees of Pakistan.
2. There is a higher acculturation stress in female Afghan refugees than in male Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

A probability purposive sampling technique was used to obtain data from four hundred Muslim Afghan migrants. Most of the sample lies in the age range between the age group of 21 to 40 years (n = 400), and 65% males & 35% females participated in the study. Most participants were married (N = 113), belonging to middle-class socioeconomic status (n = 154), and 158 participants were Afghan passport/visa holders. Their year of arrival in Pakistan was less than a year. All participants of the study can easily understand the English language.

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Table 1 indicates a demographic distribution that provides insights into their characteristics. The sample's age range is relatively evenly distributed, with 31% between 21-25 years, 28% between 26-30 years, 23% between 31-35 years, and 18% between 36-40 years. Males slightly outnumber females, making up 52.5% of the sample. An overwhelming majority (96.5%) are born in Afghanistan, with only 3.5% born in Pakistan. The sample is split between those who have resided in Pakistan for less than 1 year (52%) and those who have resided for more than 1 year (48%). Most participants are married (56.5%), have intermediate-level education (54.5%), and are employed (57.5%). The sample is predominantly middle class (77%), with most holding passports/visas (79%). The age categories (21 to 40) align with Erikson's psychosocial stages: identity exploration, intimacy formation, generativity, and middle adulthood reflection (Erikson, 1963). These stages capture refugees' varying experiences and challenges as they navigate their new environment. This categorization helps understand psychosocial experiences among different age groups of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

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Instruments

 Social, Attitudinal, Family, Environmental (S.A.F.E) Acculturation Stress Scale

The English version of the S.A.F.E. Scale is a 24-item, 6-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not stressful) to 5 (very stressful). The instrument has two subscales: general stress (21 items) and family stress (three items). The scores of each subscale are computed by taking the respondent's mean score, which is greater than two and indicates agreement with the targeted notion. Cronbach's alpha for community samples is reported to be .89, whereas, for the present study, Cronbach's alpha for subscales ranged from 85 to 91.

 Identity Distress Scale (IDS)

The English version of the Identity distress scale is a 10-item 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not at all)

to 5 (Very severely). These include long-term goals, career choices, friendships, sexual orientation and behaviour, religion, values and beliefs, and loyalty to specific groups. The Cronbach's alpha for this study ranges from 0.82 to 0.91.

Both instruments were pretested before collected data, and in the pre-test of the instruments, it was established that the study sample more can easily understood and comprehended the instruments in English 

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Procedure

After securing permission from the ethical research committee (consisting of two professors and a research coordinator) at the National Institute of Psychology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Data was collected from various scattered Afghan communities living in Pakistan. Information about the Afghan migrants living in Pakistan was acquired from the participants either individually from Hazara colony Rawalpindi and the Refugee community from Bharakahu Islamabad. After securing written and oral consent from each participant, data was collected on a self-report form containing questions related to their psychosocial issues. After data collection, the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science-26 (SPSS-26).

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Table 2 shows a moderate to strong significant correlation between acculturation stress and its subscales as general stress and family stress. At the same time, a moderate to weak correlation exists between different domains of acculturation stress and identity crisis among Afghan refugees.

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The above bar graph shows Afghan refugees in Pakistan experience the highest levels of acculturation stress (mean=71.05), followed by moderate general stress, and relatively low family stress. Acculturation stress is a significant source of stress due to cultural adaptation challenges.

Figure 2 bar graph shows the varying levels of identity distress among Afghan refugees in Pakistan, with mean values ranging from 2.44 to 3.44. The results show that ID4 (3.44) and ID9 (3.31) exhibit the highest levels of identity distress, indicating significant challenges in maintaining a sense of self and cultural identity. ID1 (3.18), ID8 (3.21), and ID2 (3.03) also show relatively high levels of identity distress, suggesting difficulties in navigating cultural differences and adapting to a new environment. In contrast, ID5 (2.44) and ID6 (2.70) display relatively lower levels of identity distress, indicating stronger resilience and coping mechanisms in maintaining their cultural identity.

Results in Table 3 show significant mean differences exist between male and female Afghan refugees on acculturation stress and identity crisis.

Discussion

The Positive link between acculturation stress and identity crisis implies that refugees with higher levels of acculturation stress are more likely to have identity problems (see Table 2). Previous research has continuously highlighted the complex association between acculturation stress and psychological distress in refugee groups (Tonsing et al., 2015). 

As immigrants face problems in adjusting to a new cultural setting, they frequently face a slew of stressors, such as language barriers, social isolation, prejudice, and cultural dissonance. These stressors can severely damage a person's sense of identity and well-being, leading to increased levels of psychological discomfort, including identity crises. Schwartz et al. (2010) emphasized the negative impacts of acculturation stress on refugees' mental health outcomes, citing its role in worsening identity-related challenges and existential dilemmas.

Moreover, results also indicate that acculturation stress regarding general stress and family stress is significantly positively associated with identity crises. Furthermore, the data show that acculturation stress, as measured by general stress and family stress, is strongly positively correlated with identity crisis. This means that refugees with higher levels of general and familial stress are more likely to experience identity crises. 

The positive relationship between acculturation stress and identity crisis is consistent with prior research, which found that studies by Berry (2005) and Schwartz et al. (2010) repeatedly confirmed the negative consequences of acculturation stress on refugees' psychological well-being. Similarly, Schwartz et al. (2010) underscored the significant impact of acculturation stress on refugees' mental health outcomes, emphasizing its association with heightened levels of psychological distress, including identity crises.

The study discovered that female migrants had higher levels of acculturation stress than male refugees. In contrast, male refugees reported higher levels of identity crisis than females (Table 3). Previous research has consistently highlighted the distinct challenges faced by female refugees in navigating their sense of identity in the context of displacement and resettlement (Wadood et al., 2020). In the present sample, it was observed that female Afghan migrants struggle more to adapt to vastly different social norms and values in their host country, leading to feelings of alienation and identity loss. Moreover, traditional gender roles and expectations may clash with more liberal views in the host society, creating tension and confusion about their identities and roles.

Studies have shown that women often experience heightened levels of psychological distress and identity confusion compared to men, stemming from factors such as trauma exposure, family roles, and societal expectations (Lee, 1998: 155). The current study's finding of higher levels of identity crisis among female refugees aligns with this existing body of literature, reinforcing the notion that gender plays a significant role in shaping the refugee experience.

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