Understanding the transitional experiences of young adult refugees in Canada

Young adult refugees experience resettlement challenges in Canada, including insecure housing, financial instability, social isolation, and mental health concerns, all the while navigating personal and emerging identity development. The purpose of this study was to research the lived experiences of young adult refugees resettling in Canada to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subjective emotional and psychological experience. This qualitative study collected data through in-depth semi structured interviews with 6 young adult and post-secondary student refugees in the lower mainland of British Columbia. The study adopted an Interpretative phenomenological Analysis approach in studying the lived experience which produced in-depth narratives of each interview and captured an authentic lived experience. The interviews were analyzed using emergent coding through thematic analysis and to produced qualitative descriptive results and represented the lived experiences with authenticity and accuracy. Results suggested that personal identity was cultivated through creating community and creating a sense of meaning through their experience and strengthening personal values and beliefs. The findings inform the need to establish belonging and identity beyond "cultural identity" and "refugee-ness" for young adult refugees.