Social support, resilience, and mental health among internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits
A mixed-methods study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8243290 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kaiser Ahmad Dar (0000-0003-0023-1944, Government Degree College, corresponding author), Rayees Ahmad Dar (0000-0001-9822-0316, Government Medical College), Aaliya Akhtar (Government Degree College), Zeenat Rashid (Government Degree College) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1091-1359 • E-ISSN: 1540-3556 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10911359.2026.2648947 |
| OpenAlex | W7140316390 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 53 |
Internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits (IDKPs) have lived for decades with displacement, loss, and continuing stress, which can affect their mental health. Social support and resilience may help individuals cope with these challenges. This study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived social support, resilience, and mental health and to explore how IDKPs experience stress, support, and psychological difficulties in their daily lives. An explanatory-sequential mixed-methods design was used. In the quantitative phase, 297 IDKPs completed standardized measures for perceived social support, resilience, life satisfaction, anxiety, and depression. Correlation and path analyses were conducted to examine associations among variables. In the qualitative phase, 10 participants were purposively selected for in-depth interviews to further explain the quantitative findings. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Higher perceived social support was associated with greater resilience and life satisfaction and with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. The data were consistent with resilience playing an explanatory role in the relationship between social support and positive affect. Support from friends emerged as the strongest correlate of positive mental health outcomes. Qualitative findings corroborated these results, emphasizing the emotional distress associated with displacement, the reliance on resilience as a coping mechanism, and the significance of social connections in alleviating psychological distress. The findings emphasize the protective role of social support and resilience in the mental health of IDKPs and call attention to the importance of culturally sensitive interventions that strengthen social networks and resilience.
Internally displaced person · Kashmiri · Mental health · Qualitative research · Refugee · Social exclusion · Health, psychology, and well-being · Migration, Health and Trauma · Resilience and Mental Health
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Is verbatim transcription of interview data always necessary?
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A meta-analytic review of the association between perceived social support and depression in childhood and adolescence
A departure from history
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Using thematic analysis in psychology
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |