Authors: Abdul Karim Atiq, Ghadeer Hussien

The study aimed to investigate the socio-psychological challenges of Palestinian students returning from exile and the role of the social worker in enhancing their ability to adapt. The study approached the literature as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, which addressed both theoretical and applied research. The significance of this recent study is the first, which dealt with this theme, to the authors’ knowledge, which in turn encourages other researchers to work on further research on this important issue.

To achieve this end, the study adopted the descriptive qualitative research approach using the case study method. The in-depth interview is appropriate for the exploratory nature of the research. A 12-item in-depth interview was formulated which was divided into four sub-scales as follows: the general information of the participants; the second section dealt with the social challenges; the third section included the psychological challenges; while the fourth had the role of the social worker in enhancing their ability to overcome these socio-psychological challenges.

The case study method was utilized which comprised of (10) Palestinian students returning from the exile at Ramallah Governorate. The collected data was analyzed using the content analysis method, and calculating the descriptive statistics that are, frequencies, and means.

The findings indicated that the majority of Palestinian students returning from the exile faced psychological challenges, including anxiety, stress, alienation, loss of identity, and sleep disturbances, in addition to social challenges, mostly, social isolation, difficulty forming friendships, and experiences of bullying and ridicule, which negatively affected their academic achievement, and their lack of motivation to participate in class activities.

Furthermore, the findings emphasized the role of the social worker in enhancing their ability to overcome these socio-psychological challenges and to adapt in such educational environment through a set of activities aimed at supporting students psychologically and socially, which includes, individual counseling, organizing focus group activities, acting as a mediator between the family and the school, and communicating with teachers.

Additionally, the findings revealed significant differences in the psychological and social challenges faced by returning students according to gender, age, and duration of stay abroad.

These findings confirm the value of the social worker to overcome the socio-psychological challenges of the Palestinian students returning from the exile. The study recommends enhancing the socio-psychological support for returning students; and developing guidance programs and group activities to promote social interaction and adaptation socially and educationally; further research is essential in the area of the socio-psychological challenges of the Palestinian students returning from the exile using the quantitative research design.

Keywords: Socio-psychological challenges, Social workers, Exile, Students, Palestine.

Abdul Karim Atiq. Assistant Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Al-Quds Open University, Ramallah, Palestine. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ghadeer Hussien, MA. Social Worker, Faculty of Social Sciences, Al-Quds Open University, Ramallah, Palestine. Social Worker, Arabian Academy for Modern Education, Birzeit, Ramallah, Palestine. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.