Objective This study compared how young people from diverse migration backgrounds (refugee, immigrant, and local) cope with interpersonal conflicts with an aim to understand how practitioners can most effectively support young people of different backgrounds. Productive, non‐productive, and reference to other coping styles were expected to differ according to students’ age, exposure to trauma, and migration backgrounds. Methods Mixed methods were used to explore the meaning of conflict within culturally and linguistically diverse school settings, and investigate how social factors influenced students’ preferred coping styles in relation to conflict. Eighty students attending mainstream and specialist language schools in Melbourne completed measures regarding their exposure to traumatic events and preferred coping styles when dealing with conflicts. Results Significant positive correlations were found between exposure to trauma and age, as well as exposure to trauma and the use of non‐productive coping across the sample. Analyses on traumatic event items revealed that young refugees, compared to immigrant or locals, were more likely to have been exposed to events such as sudden death of a person, fire, or war zones. Conclusions Findings suggested practitioners must consider how multiple factors such trauma, social environment, and everyday stressors influence how young people cope with conflict. Universal interventions with a problem‐solving and coping framework are likely to be beneficial to those students exposed to trauma and whole school communities.

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This article aims to bring together perspectives from policy, practice and research in reviewing the experiences of young refugees arriving in Australia. By reviewing international and local research and applying it to the Australian policy context, this article highlights how evidence-based practices for this population are lacking. Risk and protective factors for young refugees are discussed in relation to possible avenues of intervention. In particular, unaccompanied refugee minors are seen as being at heightened risk of social exclusion and mental illness. Quantitative and qualitative literature is integrated to provide an overall picture of young refugees in the Australian context. Studies evaluating psychological interventions and support for refugees, as well as research into how young refugees typically cope with adversities, are used to inform recommendations for school and community-based psychological interventions.