An art therapy intervention for symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety among Syrian refugee children

Uğurlu, Nilay; Akca, Leyla; Acartürk, Ceren

doi:10.1080/17450128.2016.1181288

Cited by 101 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Interventions for children and young people usually involve large groups and are delivered through schools and communities. Their modalities include psychoeducation (Lange‐Nielsen et al., ), CBT‐based (Barron et al., ) and expressive frameworks (Brown et al., ; Catani et al., ; Ugurlu, Akca, & Acarturk, ); or a combination of techniques in an ecological resilience‐building model (Toll et al., ). Overall, there is more promising evidence on reducing PTSD symptoms rather than depression or functional impairment, or indeed enhancing quality of life (Morina, Malek, Nickerson, & Bryant, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practitioner Review: Mental health problems of refugee children and adolescents and their management

Hodes

Vostanis

2018

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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Background: Since 2010, the numbers of refugees have increased and around half are under 18 years of age. It is known that experience of organised violence, displacement and resettlement increases the risk for psychiatric disorders and psychosocial impairment. This review integrates recent research into the risk and protective factors for psychopathology with service and treatment issues. Methods: We draw on and critically evaluate key systematic reviews in the selected areas, innovative robust studies and relevant government reports. Results: Many refugee children show resilience and function well, even in the face of substantial adversities. The most robust findings for psychopathology are that PTSD, and posttraumatic and depressive symptoms are found at higher prevalence in those who have been exposed to war experiences. Their severity may decrease over time with resettlement, but PTSD in the most exposed may show higher continuity. More severe psychiatric disorders including psychosis may also occur. Service delivery needs to take into account socioeconomic and cultural influences but, given the high level of unmet need even in high-income countries, stepped care delivery is required. The evaluation of psychological interventions, often delivered in group settings, suggests that they can be effective for many distressed children; however, for the more impaired, a greater range of disorder-specific therapies will be required. Conclusions: Child and adolescent mental health clinicians and service providers need to be aware of the specific needs of this population and systems for service delivery. There are significant knowledge gaps in understanding risk and vulnerability, service delivery and treatment effectiveness.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practitioner Review: Mental health problems of refugee children and adolescents and their management

Hodes

Vostanis

2018

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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“…The most recent data are mainly from explorative studies reporting prevalence of psychopathology. To the best of our knowledge, currently there is only one interventional study, in which a five-day art therapy intervention delivered by trained therapists, was reported to have significantly reduced trauma, depression, and trait anxiety symptoms conducted in a total of 35 Syrian refugee children (aged 7-12) in Istanbul [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a school-based, teacher-delivered psychological intervention group program for trauma-affected Syrian refugee children in Istanbul, Turkey

Görmez

Kılıç

Örengül

et al. 2017

Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate an innovative, protocol-based, group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program delivered by trained teachers to reduce emotional distress and improve psychological functioning among the war-traumatized Syrian refugee students living in Istanbul. Methods: A total of 32 participants, aged between 10 and 15 years (mean = 12.41, SD = 1.68) and mostly females (m/f = 12/20) were randomly selected from a sample of 113 refugee students based on their trauma-related psychopathology as reflected in the Child Post-Traumatic Stress-Reaction Index (CPTS-RI) total score. The treatment program was implemented by the teachers trained by the study team to deliver a weekly, eight-session, protocol-based intervention in school setting. The degree of the fidelity to the original program was tested via video-recordings and subsequent analyses of the sessions. Effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated by a pre-test/post-test comparison using the CPTS-RI, Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: All participants were accompanied minors. A significant proportion of them had either witnessed or been personally exposed to traumatic events. Statistically significant reduction in post-intervention evaluation was observed in the SCAS total score (t = 3.73, p = 0.001); CPTS-RI total score (t = 2.72, p = 0.011) and in the intrusive (t = 3.88, p = 0.001) and arousal (t = 2.60, p = 0.015) symptoms of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In line with improvement in emotional problems as revealed in the anxiety and PTSD scales, the SDQ subcategory of the emotional problems was the only symptom area that showed a significant improvement (t = 2.85, p = 0.008). No significant change was seen in the SDQ subcategories of conduct (t = 1.01, p = 0.32), hyperactivity (t = 1.30, p = 0.20), peer problems (t = .66, p = 0.51), or in prosocial behavior (t = 2.15, p = 0.039). A significant proportion of the participants did no longer meet the diagnostic threshold for anxiety (p = 0.001) and PTSD (p = 0.021) after completion of the intervention. However, the post-intervention SDQ subcategories and the total SDQ score showed no significant difference as compared with the pre-intervention group. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first interventional study reporting promising results from a school-based, teacher-led and culturally sensitive psychological intervention program for refugee children in Turkey. Such protocol-based interventions need to be examined in controlled designs and larger samples so that a well-established intervention can be created and disseminated to provide the psychosocial support for this vulnerable and traumatized population.

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“…With such non-verbal activities, it could be possible to establish relationship with children, learn more about them and guide them. Uğurlu [38] worked with refugee children and stated that art therapy is an effective way to decrease post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and childhood anxiety symptoms.…”

Section: Results and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application, Views, and Problems of Counselors Working with Syrian Elementary School Students

Sinan¹,

Gültekin²

2018

ujer

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The war that began in 2011 caused many Syrians to immigrate. There are more than 2.9 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. With this unprecedented migration, Turkey has faced challenges in its education system as well as many other areas. The sudden increase in the number of students and the qualitative and quantitative insufficiencies of teachers are among some of these challenges. Teachers are forced to work with children who have undergone traumatic events and experience economic, familial, psychological, and vital problems. Additionally, these children are forced to adapt to a new language, culture, and education system. It is necessary to help these children adapt to the education system and provide the support they need. When fighting these challenges, school counselors play an important role for both teachers and students. In this context, the purpose of this study was to determine guidance services of counsellors regarding Syrian students, challenges, and views regarding these problems. The participants of this study consisted of 20 counselors working in elementary schools in Bursa. Data were collected with the semi-structured interview method in qualitative research methods and analysed with descriptive analysis. The results of this study indicated that counsellors struggle planning, although they are motivated to work with Syrian students. The largest obstacle faced by counselors is the fact that Syrian students do not know Turkish. The indifference of the parents of Syrian students and the high number of students also limit counselors. While offered psychological counseling and guidance (PCG) services focused on individual interviews and guidance to teachers, there is also work for the acceptance of Syrian students. The most important expectation is to prioritize to teach Turkish to students. It is believed that both Syrian students and their family, and other students and teachers will benefit from all improvements in PCG services by considering Syrian students.

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An art therapy intervention for symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety among Syrian refugee children

Cited by 101 publications

References 38 publications

Practitioner Review: Mental health problems of refugee children and adolescents and their management

Practitioner Review: Mental health problems of refugee children and adolescents and their management

Evaluation of a school-based, teacher-delivered psychological intervention group program for trauma-affected Syrian refugee children in Istanbul, Turkey

Application, Views, and Problems of Counselors Working with Syrian Elementary School Students

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