Refugee Children: Mental Health and Effective Interventions

Abstract

The mental health consequences of war and other forms of organized violence for children represent a serious global public health issue. Much of the research on the mental health of war-affected civilians has focused on refugees who have sought asylum in high-income countries and face the dual stress of a traumatic past and resettlement. This review will focus on the mental health of refugee children who have fled war as well as interventions to both prevent and treat adverse mental health outcomes. While war can have devastating mental health consequences, children raised in the midst of armed conflict also display resilience. Effective interventions for refugee children will be discussed both in terms of prevention and treatment of psychopathology, with a focus on recent developments in the field.

Being alone or becoming lonely? The complexity of portraying ‘unaccompanied children’ as being alone in Sweden

“…First, separation from caregivers at a young age was suggested to contribute to an increased risk of developing psychosocial problems later on (Lustig et al 2004). Second, trauma from witnessing or being part of war, violence and/or persecution has been discussed (Fazel, Wheeler, and Danesh 2005;Pacione, Measham, and Rousseau 2013;Papageorgiou et al 2000). And, finally, there have been studies on post-migratory stress (Sack 1998), which is stress that emerges as a consequence of being in a new country and having to cope with new rules, regulations, agencies, a new language, or as Kohli and Mather (2003, 201) wrote, trying to navigate through a 'maze of systems'.…”

Applying the ADAPT Psychosocial Model to War-Affected Children and Adolescents

“…As seen in the case vignette, both directly witnessing violence (e.g., see Dyregrov, Gjestad, & Raundalen, 2002;Henley & Robinson, 2011;Heptinstall, Sethna, & Taylor, 2004;Husain et al, 1998;Pacione, Measham, & Rousseau, 2013;Thabet & Vostanis, 2000) and personally experiencing violence (e.g., see Allwood, Bell-Dolan, & Husain, 2002;Derluyn, Broekaert, Schuyten, & Temmerman, 2004;Goldstein, Wampler, & Wise, 1997;Mirza, 2006;Pacione et al, 2013;Papageorgiou et al, 1999;Qouta, Punamäki, & El-Sarraj, 2003;Schaal & Elbert, 2006;ServanSchreiber, Le Lin, & Birmaher, 1998) are common occurrences reported by war-affected children and their parents. Violence includes events like physical or sexual assault, shootings, and bombings.…”

“…Displacement has been found to have a negative impact on children's well-being, with mothers of displaced Croatian children indicating a substantial increase in a variety of physical, behavioral, and emotional symptoms, as well as more concentration difficulties (Ajdukovic & Ajdukovic, 1998). Even for children who have relocated to a safe country, post-migration experiences have been linked with children's psychological symptoms as noted in the case vignette (Heptinstall et al, 2004;Pacione et al, 2013). In a longitudinal study of adolescent Middle Eastern refugees residing in Denmark, postmigration adaptation and stressors (such as discrimination) were stronger predictors of psychological problems than premigration trauma (Montgomery, 2008).…”

Facing Violence – A Global Challenge

“…Economic stress and social isolation are a common aggravating problem encountered in post conflict zones before flight and on return, but also in host countries ( 90 ) . Simple, though per se evidence based interventions, can again not address the complexity of rehabilitation and treatment needs ( 91,92 ) and specific intervention packages will be required for special groups ( 77,93 94 ).…”