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D'Souza VC. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Our Migrant Youth. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 2024; 33:207-218. [PMID: 38395506 DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2023.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
There is an ongoing diagnostic and treatment challenge for migrant youth with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that many clinicians face. Current studies have helped clinicians to develop a better understanding of the migrant youth's journey including potentially traumatic and adverse events they encounter. This includes determining if premigration, migration, and postmigration stressors have had an impact on the individual. This has also helped clinicians, educators, and legal advocates to use a collaborative approach to address the migrant youth's needs for managing the severity of PTSD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa C D'Souza
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st Street Southwest, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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Sánchez-Teruel D, Robles-Bello MA. Predictive variables of resilience in young Moroccan immigrant. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-01126-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Evans K, Hasson RG, Teixeira S, Fitchett V, Crea TM. Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in ORR Foster Care: Community Level Facilitators of Adjustment Identified by Service Providers. CHILD & ADOLESCENT SOCIAL WORK JOURNAL : C & A 2022; 41:1-14. [PMID: 35874463 PMCID: PMC9288734 DOI: 10.1007/s10560-022-00842-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE While many studies address immigrant integration, few focus on the adjustment process for unaccompanied immigrant children in foster care in the United States- and even fewer look at community level prevention and intervention strategies for positive youth adjustment. This study uses a human rights framework to examine community level facilitators- both prevention and interventions- that aid the adjustment for unaccompanied immigrant children in foster care as they navigate life in the US. METHOD Seventy-nine service providers that work with unaccompanied immigrant children participated in 22 focus groups/interviews. Open coding was used to create a codebook, and then data were qualitatively analyzed using deductive and axial coding. RESULTS The major prevention strategies for community adjustment include welcoming communities and inter-agency collaborations. The major intervention strategies for systems level adjustment include community relationships, access to healthcare, and the church as an institution. DISCUSSION Implications include advocating for funding and programming to support mentors for every child, advocating for welcoming policies, and engaging unaccompanied immigrant children in research using participatory approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerri Evans
- School of Social Work, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Cir, 21250 Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Robert G. Hasson
- Department of Social Work, Providence College, Providence, RI USA
| | | | | | - Thomas M. Crea
- Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, MA USA
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Yıldırım M, Aziz IA, Vostanis P, Hassan MN. Associations among resilience, hope, social support, feeling belongingness, satisfaction with life, and flourishing among Syrian minority refugees. J Ethn Subst Abuse 2022; 23:166-181. [PMID: 35635441 DOI: 10.1080/15332640.2022.2078918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
To date, research on refugee mental health has mainly focused on understanding the absence of psychopathology rather than on their well-being and associated positive aspects. The aim of this study was to examine the role of resilience, hope, belongingness, and social support in predicting satisfaction with life and flourishing among 361 minority Syrian refugees living in Iraq (age range = 18-60 years, mean = 32.57, SD = 10.05). Participants completed the Brief Resilience Scale, Adult Hope Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale, General Belongingness Scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale, and Flourishing Scale. Males reported significantly higher levels of resilience, belongingness, and flourishing compared to females. Demographic variables (age, gender, and economic level), resilience, hope, belongingness, and social support were correlated with life satisfaction and flourishing scores. While controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, resilience and hope were associated with life satisfaction and flourishing scores. However, belongingness and social support were only associated with flourishing scores. The findings suggest that equipping refugees with positive psychological resources could promote increased levels of life satisfaction and flourishing and thus enhance preventive psychosocial programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murat Yıldırım
- Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, Ağrı, Turkey
- University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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Martinet ÉHG, Damásio BF. Relationships between Cultural Adaptation and Immigrants’ Well-Being. PSICO-USF 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/1413-82712021260306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract The present study aimed to evaluate the predictive relationship of socio-demographic variables, cultural adaptation and hope on general well-being (GWB), subjective (SWB), social (SoWB) and psychological (PWB) and in the meaning of life. The participants consisted of 108 immigrants. The instruments used were: bio sociodemographic questionnaire, Mental Health Continuum - Short Form, Dispositional Hope Scale, Acculturation Measures and Meaning of Life Questionnaire. In general, only sociocultural adaptation showed a positive predictive relationship with all types of well-being studied, nonetheless this measure presented a negative predictive relationship regarding the presence of meaning in life. Psychological adaptation was predictively and positively related only to SWB. The perception of cultural distance negatively affected SoWB. The presence of meaning was also negatively predicted by the type of immigration and age. The search for meaning was negatively predicted only by income. The results are important for a better understanding of factors that influence the experience of immigrants in Brazil.
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Alarcón X, Bobowik M, Prieto-Flores Ò. Mentoring for Improving the Self-Esteem, Resilience, and Hope of Unaccompanied Migrant Youth in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18105210. [PMID: 34068880 PMCID: PMC8156929 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In the last few years, the number of unaccompanied youths arriving in Europe has increased steadily. During their settlement in host countries, they are exposed to a great variety of vulnerabilities, which have an impact on their mental health. This research examines the effects of participation in a mentoring programme on the psychological and educational outcomes among unaccompanied migrant youths who live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Data in this mixed-methods study were obtained from 44 surveys with mentored (treatment group) and non-mentored (control group) male youths who had recently turned 18, as well as through thirty semi-structured interviews with mentored youths, their adult mentors, and non-mentored youths. Our findings indicated that participation in the mentoring programme improved the mentored youths’ self-esteem, resilience, and hope, as well as their desired or expected educational outcomes in this new context. We conclude that well-targeted and problem-specific mentoring programmes have positive and marked effects on unaccompanied migrant youths’ mental health. The social and political implications of these outcomes are also discussed, providing information on how interventions can offer effective networks of support for the settlement and social inclusion of unaccompanied migrant youths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Alarcón
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Girona, Plaça Sant Domènec, 9, 17071 Girona, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Magdalena Bobowik
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Òscar Prieto-Flores
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Girona, Plaça Sant Domènec, 9, 17071 Girona, Spain;
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Arakelyan S, Ager A. Annual Research Review: A multilevel bioecological analysis of factors influencing the mental health and psychosocial well-being of refugee children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021; 62:484-509. [PMID: 33277944 PMCID: PMC8246898 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This paper revisits the themes of an influential 1993 review regarding the factors shaping the mental health and psychosocial well-being of refugees to take stock of developments in the evidence base and conceptualisation of issues for refugee children over the last 25 years. METHODS The study deployed a systematic search strategy. This initially identified 784 papers, which was reduced to 65 studies following application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used a later iteration of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development - the PPCT model - to consolidate evidence. RESULTS We identify a range of risk and protective factors operating at individual, familial, community and institutional and policy levels that influence outcomes for refugee children. The dynamics shaping the interaction of these influences are linked to the life course principles of socio-historical time and developmental age, proximal processes and child agency. CONCLUSIONS Actions at individual, familial, community, school, institutional and policy levels all have potential traction on mental health and psychosocial well-being of refugee children. However, evidence suggests that greatest impact will be secured by multilevel interventions addressing synergies between ecological systems, approaches engaging proximal processes (including parenting programmes) and interventions facilitating the agency of the developing refugee child.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Arakelyan
- Institute for Global Health and DevelopmentQueen Margaret UniversityEdinburghUK
| | - Alastair Ager
- Institute for Global Health and DevelopmentQueen Margaret UniversityEdinburghUK
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Hasson RG, Easton SD, Iriarte ADV, O’Dwyer LM, Underwood D, Crea TM. Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale Within a Sample of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in the United States. JOURNAL OF LOSS & TRAUMA 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2020.1777760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott D. Easton
- Boston College School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | | | - Laura M. O’Dwyer
- Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | | | - Thomas M. Crea
- Boston College School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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Szlyk HS, Berger Cardoso J, Barros Lane L, Evans K. "Me Perdía en la Escuela": Latino Newcomer Youths in the U.S. School System. SOCIAL WORK 2020; 65:131-139. [PMID: 32236470 PMCID: PMC7927750 DOI: 10.1093/sw/swaa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Unaccompanied minors, or "newcomer youths," come to the United States from Mexico and Central America to escape violence and persecution, and to seek financial and academic opportunities. Many newcomer youths arrive with gaps in their formal education attributed to the immigration process and the heterogeneity of their pre-U.S. lives. Once they are enrolled in the U.S. school system, many educators struggle to accommodate the academic needs of these students. Drawing on the framework of social and cultural capital, this article aimed to expand the current knowledge on the experiences of Latino unaccompanied youths in the U.S. school system. A thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 30 newcomer students and 10 key informants revealed six themes: socialización con los demás compañeros (getting along with the other students); poca confianza (little trust); no sé lo que decían (I do not know what they were saying); it is a hard landing; education, interrupted; and estoy agradecido (I am grateful). The article offers suggestions for school social workers and educators on how to promote academic success, student resilience, and school connectedness for a vulnerable youth population.
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Cardoso JB, Brabeck K, Stinchcomb D, Heidbrink L, Price OA, Gil-García ÓF, Crea TM, Zayas LH. Integration of Unaccompanied Migrant Youth in the United States: A Call for Research. JOURNAL OF ETHNIC AND MIGRATION STUDIES 2017; 45:273-292. [PMID: 30766444 PMCID: PMC6370325 DOI: 10.1080/1369183x.2017.1404261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Between October 2013 and July 2016, over 156,000 children traveling without their guardians were apprehended at the US-Mexico border and transferred to the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). During that same period, ORR placed over 123,000 unaccompanied migrant youth-predominantly from Central America-with a parent or other adult sponsor residing in the US. Following placement, local communities are tasked with integrating migrant youth, many of whom experience pre- and in-transit migration traumas, family separation, limited/interrupted schooling, and unauthorised legal status, placing them at heightened risk for psychological distress, academic disengagement, maltreatment, and human trafficking. Nonetheless, fewer than 10% of young people receive formal post-release services. This paper addresses the paucity of research on the experiences of the 90% of children and youth without access to post-release services. To bridge this gap, this article: (a) describes the post-release experiences of unaccompanied youth, focusing on legal, family, health, and educational contexts; (b) identifies methodological and ethical challenges and solutions in conducting research with this population of young people and their families; and (c) proposes research to identify structural challenges to the provision of services and to inform best practices in support of unaccompanied youth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kalina Brabeck
- Department of Counseling, Educational Leadership & School Psychology, Rhode Island College
| | | | - Lauren Heidbrink
- Department of Human Development, California State University, Long Beach
| | - Olga Acosta Price
- Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University
| | | | | | - Luis H Zayas
- School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
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