At Home: Place Attachment and Identity in an Italian Refugee Sample

Caterina Nicolais, James Michael Perry, Camilla Modesti, Alessandra Talamo and Giampaolo Nicolais
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Caterina Nicolais: Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
James Michael Perry: Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Camilla Modesti: Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alessandra Talamo: Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giampaolo Nicolais: Department of Dynamic, Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-18

Abstract: The central tenet of Place Attachment theory states that an individual has an inborn predisposition to form strong bonds with places as well as with people. Our qualitative study applies this theory to understand how, despite loss and adversity, refugees are able to reconstruct a sense of identity, community, and “home”. Participants included 15 forcibly displaced people from different countries of origin. Semistructured interviews explored factors that facilitate participants’ integration in a new context and the impact of this context on their sense of identity. Data were analysed using Consensual Qualitative Research Methodology to identify recurrent themes and their frequencies within interview transcripts. Within the relational dimensions of place attachment , affiliation , and seeking help from others , the study explores the factors that facilitate the integration of refugees in a new context and the impact of this context on their sense of identity, identifying recurrent themes and their frequencies within interview transcripts. The most frequent resulting themes were (a) a sense of identity and (b) expectations toward the resettlement country. Additional, though less frequent, themes included: (c) sense of belonging, (d) community integration, (e) trust, (f) opportunity seizing, (g) being a point of reference for others, (h) sense of community, (i) positive memories, (j) refusal. These results begin to describe the ways by which Place Attachment, toward both birth and resettlement countries, contributes to a restructured identity and sense of “feeling at home” for refugees.

Keywords: place attachment; refugees; home; identity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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