The Unique Role of Peer Support: Exploring the Effects of Various Sources of Social Support on the Mental Health of Unaccompanied Children in China under Residential Education

This study investigates the impact of various sources of social support on the mental health of unaccompanied children under residential education in China. Unaccompanied children refer to those whose parents are still alive but unable to raise them due to various reasons. The study utilized self-reported questionnaires administered at two time waves, with the first wave (T1) evaluating family support, teacher support, and peer support, and the second wave (T2) evaluating depression, subjective well-being, and resilience. A total of 202 participants completed both surveys. To examine the predictive effect of different sources of social support on the mental health of these children, the study used the structural equation model with depression and subjective well-being as indicators. The results show that neither family support nor teacher support (T1) had a significant effect on the mental health (T2) of the children. However, peer support (T1) had a significant positive predictive effect on mental health (T2), indicating the unique role of peer support in promoting the mental health of unaccompanied children. The study also explored the mediating role of resilience between social support and well-being, revealing that though the direct effect of teacher support (T1) on mental health (T2) was not significant, the indirect mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between teacher support and mental health was significant. Both the direct and indirect effect of family support (T1) on mental health (T2) were not significant. These findings highlight the importance of creating a positive peer environment for unaccompanied children to promote their mental health. This study has important practical implications for the development of effective intervention programs aimed at improving the mental health of this population.

School Nurses' Experiences Working With Unaccompanied Refugee Children and Adolescents: A Qualitative Study

School nurses are one of the first health-care professionals to meet unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents and therefore have an important impact on health outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe school nurses' experiences working with unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents. Semistructured interviews were conducted with school nurses (n = 14) who worked with unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents. The interviews were analyzed via qualitative content analysis. The results fell into three themes: (a) knowledge of trauma-informed care, (b) knowledge of intercultural nursing, and (c) importance of self-awareness. School nurses require the development of tailor-made skills that focus on crisis, trauma, and cultural awareness to meet the complex needs associated with working with unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents.

Charting Directions for Research on Immigrant Children Affected by Undocumented Status

Three groups of children from Mexico and Central America are vulnerable to effects of US immigration policies: 1) foreign-born children who entered the US with undocumented immigrant parents; 2) unaccompanied children who entered the US alone; and 3) U.S.-born citizen children of undocumented immigrant parents. Despite the recent demographic growth of these youth, scholarship on their strengths and challenges is under-theorized and isolated within specific disciplines. Hence, service providers, researchers, and policymakers have insufficient research to inform their efforts to support the children's wellbeing. A group of scholars and service-providers with expertise in immigrant children convened to establish consensus areas and identify gaps in knowledge of undocumented, unaccompanied, and citizen children of undocumented immigrant parents. The primary goal was to establish a research agenda that increases interdisciplinary collaborations, informs clinical practice, and influences policies. This report summarizes key issues and recommendations that emerged from the meeting.

Pneumococcal Serotype 5 Colonization Prevalence Among Newly Arrived Unaccompanied Children 1 Year After an Outbreak-Texas, 2015

In 2014, an acute respiratory illness outbreak affected unaccompanied children from Central America entering the United States; 9% of 774 surveyed children were colonized with Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 5. In our 2015 follow-up survey of 475 children, serotype 5 was not detected, and an interim recommendation to administer 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to all unaccompanied children was discontinued.

Senseless Violence Against Central American Unaccompanied Minors: Historical Background and Call for Help

The southwestern U.S. border has recently seen a significant increase in the number of unaccompanied children from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador illegally crossing the Mexican border into the United States. Many of these children leave home to flee violence, starvation, impoverished living conditions, or other life-threatening situations. The treatment of acute stress, anxiety, and depression associated with traumatic events is crucial in helping these children address these negative psychological events they have experienced so that they can move forward with their lives. Untreated, traumatic events experienced by this population can develop into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a potentially life-changing and physically threatening psychological and medical issue. The United States needs to effectively address the serious matter of responding to mental health issues facing refugees from war-torn or impoverished nations so as to help them to successfully adjust to American systems. There is a need for researchers in the mental health field to focus efforts in designing, implementing, and evaluating methodologies that can help these children develop healthy strategies for living with a very difficult and complex past.

Global Mental Health in Our Own Backyard: An Unaccompanied Immigrant Child's Migration From El Salvador to New York City

There has been a recent surge in the number of children migrating to the United States without a parent. Despite their vulnerability to extreme adversity at every stage of their migration process, little is known about the psychosocial context and mental health needs of unaccompanied children. This article presents a case study of a 16-year-old Salvadoran boy who participated in a larger, mixed-methods study on the psychosocial context, psychological presentation, and mental health service utilization of unaccompanied children living in New York pending their immigration cases. After the presentation of the case, different models for understanding the experiences and needs of unaccompanied children are discussed.

Multistate Outbreak of Respiratory Infections Among Unaccompanied Children, June 2014-July 2014

BACKGROUND

From January 2014-July 2014, more than 46 000 unaccompanied children (UC) from Central America crossed the US-Mexico border. In June-July, UC aged 9-17 years in 4 shelters and 1 processing center in 4 states were hospitalized with acute respiratory illness. We conducted a multistate investigation to interrupt disease transmission.

METHODS

Medical charts were abstracted for hospitalized UC. Nonhospitalized UC with influenza-like illness were interviewed, and nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected to detect respiratory pathogens. Nasopharyngeal swabs were used to assess pneumococcal colonization in symptomatic and asymptomatic UC. Pneumococcal blood isolates from hospitalized UC and nasopharyngeal isolates were characterized by serotyping and whole-genome sequencing.

RESULTS

Among 15 hospitalized UC, 4 (44%) of 9 tested positive for influenza viruses, and 6 (43%) of 14 with blood cultures grew pneumococcus, all serotype 5. Among 48 nonhospitalized children with influenza-like illness, 1 or more respiratory pathogens were identified in 46 (96%). Among 774 nonhospitalized UC, 185 (24%) yielded pneumococcus, and 70 (38%) were serotype 5. UC transferring through the processing center were more likely to be colonized with serotype 5 (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.1-6.9). Analysis of core pneumococcal genomes detected 2 related, yet independent, clusters. No pneumococcus cases were reported after pneumococcal and influenza immunization campaigns.

CONCLUSIONS

This respiratory disease outbreak was due to multiple pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 5 and influenza viruses. Pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations prevented further transmission. Future efforts to prevent similar outbreaks will benefit from use of both vaccines.