The Life Experiences of Refugee Children and the Depictions of Their Experiences in Drawings: A Qualitative Study

ABSRTACTThis study aims to investigate the life experiences of refugee children and examine the symbolic representations of these experiences in their drawings. In this study, the phenomenological research design, which is a qualitative research approach, was adopted. The study was carried out with 28 refugee children. The obtained qualitative data were analyzed through thematic coding. It has been found in this study that three themes "The Challenges of Immigration," "Living in A Country Without War," "Outlook for The Future." Refugee children experience challenges in many aspects, including but not limited to education, economic status and social life. It has been determined that despite the challenges they face, refugee children have embraced their host country, that they feel safe, and that most do not want to go back to their home countries as they fear for their lives. In this study, it has been concluded that refugee children experience various asylum-related issues. In line with the obtained data, it is recommended to pre-determine the mental and physical problems refugee children may face, ensure their protection, minimize their asylum-related issues, produce national and international policies on their access to education, health, and basic services and take other relevant necessary measures. Practice Implications: This study contributes to our better understanding of what difficulties migration causes in children's lives and how children experience this process. All the health professionals who have roles and responsibilities in the protection and development of the health of migrant children can take advantage from the results of the study.