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By the end of 2019, the number of forcibly displaced persons globally approached 80 million (UNHCR, 2020). The psychological impact of exposure to war, persecution, and displacement is significant, with elevated rates of psychological disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being documented in refugees and asylum-seekers (Charlson et al., 2019; Steel et al., 2009). While the field has been dominated by the investigation of fear reactions following trauma exposure (as reflected by a focus on PTSD), there is evidence that the psychological effects of persecution and displacement are diverse and complex. For example, studies have reported that refugees experience a variety of negative emotional responses including anger, shame, guilt, and sadness, which have been associated with negative functional outcomes such as interpersonal difficulties, low self-worth, and aggression (Agger, 1989; Ekblad, Prochazka, & Roth, 2002; Hinton, Rasmussen, Nou, Pollack, & Good, 2009; Miller, 2009; Stotz, Elbert, Muller, & Schauer, 2015). However, the relationship between refugee experiences (i.e. trauma exposure and displacement) and these non-fear-related emotional reactions is poorly understood. Furthermore, little research has investigated specific psychological mechanisms that may underpin the association between refugee experiences and these less-studied psychological outcomes in refugees.
One potential mechanism that has been implicated in psychological responses of trauma survivors is cognitive appraisals. Theoretical models and empirical evidence converge to demonstrate that the way in which an individual thinks about a traumatic event has important consequences for their subsequent psychological functioning, over and above the characteristics of the event itself (Dunmore, Clark, & Ehlers, 1999; Ehlers & Clark, 2000; O'Donnell, Elliott, Wolfgang, & Creamer, 2007; Resick & Schnicke, 1992). In contrast, relatively few studies have investigated cognitive appraisals in refugee samples (cf. Basoglu et al. 2005; Hinton, Hinton, Um, Chea, & Sak, 2002; Le et al. 2018). Understanding key mechanistic factors that underlie refugee psychopathology is of critical importance for informing the development of tailored, evidence-based interventions for individuals exposed to persecution and displacement. One framework that may be useful when considering cognitive appraisals in the refugee context is moral injury. Litz et al. (2009) defined moral injury as ‘the lasting psychological, biological, spiritual, behavioral, and social impact of perpetrating, failing to prevent, or bearing witness to acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations’ (p. 697). Recent theoretical...