The Mental Health of Refugee Children

Rousseau, Cécile

doi:10.1177/136346159503200304

Cited by 66 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Most of the evidence on psychological distress among migrant youth comes from the postmigration experience in Industrialized countries and suggests that behavioral problems, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder are common (Beiser et al, 1995;Berman, 2001;Bronstein & Montgomery, 2011;Kinzie, Sack, Angell, Manson, & Rath, 1986;Lustig et al, 2004;Rousseau, 1995).…”

Section: Migration and Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 98%

The effect of acculturation and discrimination on mental health symptoms and risk behaviors among adolescent migrants in Israel.

Nakash

Nagar

Shoshani

et al. 2012

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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This study examines the role of acculturation, perceived discrimination, and self-esteem in predicting the mental health symptoms and risk behaviors among 1.5 and second generation non-Jewish adolescents born to migrant families compared with native-born Jewish Israeli adolescents in Israel. Participants included n = 65 1.5 migrant adolescents, n = 60 second generation migrant adolescents, and n = 146 age, gender, and socioeconomic matched sample of native-born Jewish Israelis. Participants completed measures of acculturation pattern, perceived discrimination, and self-esteem as well as measures of mental health symptoms and risk behaviors. Results show that migrant adolescents across generations reported worse mental health symptoms compared with native-born Jewish Israelis. However, only the 1.5 generation migrants reported higher engagement in risk behaviors compared with second generation migrants and native-born Jewish Israelis. Our findings further showed that acculturation plays an important role in predicting the mental health status of migrant youth, with those characterized with integrated acculturative pattern reporting lower mental health symptoms compared with assimilated acculturation pattern. Importantly, contextual factors, such as higher perception of discrimination in the receiving culture as well as individual factors such as lower self-esteem and female gender were strongly associated with worse mental health symptoms. The findings manifest the complex relationship between contextual factors and individual level variables in the acculturative process of migrants as well as the importance of examining the effect of migration generation on mental health outcomes.

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Section: Migration and Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 98%

The effect of acculturation and discrimination on mental health symptoms and risk behaviors among adolescent migrants in Israel.

Nakash

Nagar

Shoshani

et al. 2012

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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“…There are three general literature reviews concerning refugee children's mental health (Rousseau 1995;Berman 2001;Lustig et al 2004) and one integrative review (Fox et al 1994). These reviews describe psychological distress in refugee children predominantly as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other symptoms such as irritability, restlessness, sleep problems, somatic symptoms, and conduct disorders; they do not provide an indication of prevalence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Distress in Refugee Children: A Systematic Review

Bronstein

Montgomery

2011

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev

526

324

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Nearly one-quarter of the refugees worldwide are children. There have been numerous studies reporting their levels of psychological distress. The aim of this paper is to review systematically and synthesize the epidemiological research concerning the mental health of refugee children residing in Western countries. A Cochrane Collaboration style review was conducted searching nine major databases, bibliographies, and grey literature from 2003 to 2008. Included studies had to meet the reporting standards of STROBE and investigate mental health in non-clinical samples of asylum seeking and refugee children residing in OECD countries. A total of twenty-two studies were identified of 4,807 retrieved citations, covering 3,003 children from over 40 countries. Studies varied in definition and measurement of problems, which included levels of post-traumatic stress disorder from 19 to 54%, depression from 3 to 30%, and varying degrees of emotional and behavioral problems. Significant factors influencing levels of distress appear to include demographic variables, cumulative traumatic pre-migration experiences, and post-migration stressors. Importantly, the research base demands greater contextual and methodological refining such that future research would have greater generalizability and clinical implications.

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“…There are a number of existing creative expression programs for children who have lived through war or armed conflict (Rousseau, 1995). Most of the work of this type has probably been done in Latin America where the goal has been to empower people to resist state-sanctioned violence and/or to facilitate a healing process in the wake of trauma and loss caused by social upheaval or exile (Barudy, 1988).…”

Section: The Tripmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various studies of refugee and immigrant children and adolescents have shown that risk and protective factors are determined by three broad categories of variables: cultural, situational, and developmental (Rousseau, 1995). Cultural variables include not just the characteristics of the home culture, but also the way it interacts with the culture of the host country.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Trip: A Creative Expression Project for Refugee and Immigrant Children

Rousseau

Heusch

2000

Art Therapy

Self Cite

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This program, designed for a multiethnic classroom setting, uses drawing and storytelling to help immigrant and refugee children build bridges between the past and the future by attaching meaning to experience. Three main themes -family, friends, and mythsrun through the children's work. The family represents continuity of attachments and values, friends make up the human environment of the host country, and myths of the homeland seem to provide a framework for experiences and emotions. Expression of these themes appears to indicate not only that these factors can protect against psychological distress, but also the children's ability to adjust to existence in a bicultural world. On the other hand, the time sequence analysis of the stories suggests that an absence of solid ties to the past prevents children from imagining a future for themselves.

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The Mental Health of Refugee Children

Cited by 66 publications

References 58 publications

The effect of acculturation and discrimination on mental health symptoms and risk behaviors among adolescent migrants in Israel.

The effect of acculturation and discrimination on mental health symptoms and risk behaviors among adolescent migrants in Israel.

Psychological Distress in Refugee Children: A Systematic Review

The Trip: A Creative Expression Project for Refugee and Immigrant Children

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