Abstract

Background: Young refugees face the unique challenge of navigating two simultaneous transitions: growing up while adapting to life in a new country. This study explores how these intertwined journeys impact psychological processes including vulnerability, resilience, acculturation, integration, meaning-making, and identity formation among individuals who arrived in Norway as child and adolescent refugees.

Methods: We conducted in-depth life story interviews with eight participants (four women, four men) aged 21-45 who arrived in Norway between ages 8-17 and had lived there for 13-30 years. Using explorative-reflexive thematic analysis with a hermeneutical-phenomenological foundation, we examined how participants constructed narratives about their experiences of vulnerability, personal growth, and integration.

Results: Two overarching themes emerged: "the opportunity for a new beginning" and "the pain of loss and overwhelming life events." Within these themes, four subthemes illuminated different facets of the refugee experience: (1) "A new world: First encounter with Norway," capturing initial uncertainty and ambivalence; (2) "The backstory that makes you vulnerable," describing how past trauma continues to influence present functioning; (3) "Finding belongingness through hard work: Schooling and career," highlighting education as a pathway to integration; and (4) "Gratitude for opportunities: Contrasting actual and potential life outcomes," revealing how participants made meaning by comparing their current lives with imagined alternatives.

Discussion: Our findings illustrate how young refugees naviate an existential tension between hope for a better future and the lingering impact of traumatic experiences. This "dual transition process" involves simultaneously traversing normal developmental milestones while adapting to a new cultural context. Participants' narratives revealed how successful integration flourished not through individual grit alone, but through the vital presence of caring communities and strong institutions that helped contain existential anxiety and foster meaningful connection.

Conclusion: Understanding the dual transition process of young refugees has important implications for public health policy and practice. Support systems should address both the immediate wounds of displacement and deeper existential questions about identity and belonging. By recognizing how vulnerability and resilience intertwine in the refugee experience, we can better foster conditions that promote long-term wellbeing and meaningful integration in host societies.