The Association Between Perceived Relationship Quality and Psychological Symptoms in Refugees

Introduction: Relationship quality plays an important role in mental health, but little is known about its importance among resettled refugees. We investigated the association between perceived relationship quality and psychological symptoms among refugees resettled in Australia. Methods: Participants were 738 adult refugees (principal applicants, 83.5% male, M = 43.2 years, SD = 12.3) and their partners who participated in the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study across 5 years from 2013 to 2017. Participants were assessed for psychological distress, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and perceived relationship quality, using the Kessler scale (K6), the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-8 (PTSD-8), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale-4 (DAS-4), respectively. Results: Multiple regression analyses found that, among principal applicants, perceived relationship quality predicted psychological distress (p =.0006) at post-arrival, and changes in perceived relationship quality predicted changes in PTSS (p =.0003) across a one-year interval. When partners were analyzed, results were broadly consistent with those of the principal applicants, except that changes in relationship quality did predict changes in psychological distress, but not changes in PTSS. Discussion: Relationship quality appeared to be associated with psychological distress, but improvements in relationship quality may have particular utility for reductions in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. These results highlight the importance of relationship quality as a key correlate of refugee mental health.